Ashton expected to offer mediation to end Egypt violence

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Cairo – Akram Ali EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton flew into Egypt for talks Monday as international pressure increased on the new regime over the weekend's violence, which claimed more than 80 lives. But the country's new rulers warned they would take "decisive and firm" action against protesters if they went beyond their right to peaceful demonstration.
Egypt's vice presidency said Ashton will meet with interim president Adly Mansour and Mohamed ElBaradei, who is vice president for international affairs.
Sources told Arab Today that Ashton will discuss the EU perspective on the ongoing events in Egypt, especially the clashes on Saturday in Nasr City, eastern Cairo, where 72 were killed.
State news agency MENA said Ashton will also hold talks with members of deposed president Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and the Tamarod group that organised the huge protests that led up to his overthrow by the army.
"I deeply deplore the loss of life," said Ashton in a statement, adding that she would be pressing the need for all sides to be included in the return to democracy, "including the Muslim Brotherhood".
Ashton will allegedly renew the EU request for releasing ousted president Mohammed Morsi, who was detained for 15 days pending investigations into allegations of collaboration with foreign forces.
On Saturday evening, Mansour chaired a meeting of the National Defence Council at Ittihadiya palace, with senior officials discussing ways to resolve the current crisis.
In a statement, the presidency said that the meeting was attended by interim Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei, Prime Minister ?Hazem el-Beblawi, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy and Chief of Staff of ?the Armed Forces Sedki Sobhi.
Meanwhile, umbrella group National Salvation Front (NSF) has condemned the  most recent violence and killing of a large number of Muslim Brotherhood activists.
However, the group, which was the main Egyptian opposition coalition during President Mohammed Morsi's reign, said that it "cannot help" but blame and condemn the Muslim Brotherhood for the deaths.
NSF said that the Brotherhood had "gathered its supporters in Rabaa al-Adawiya [sit-in in Cairo's Nasr City] for a month now" and claims that "confronting the armed forces and the police, attacking private and governmental institutions, and endangering the lives of the Egyptian citizens is jihad for God" and they will "receive martyrdom if they [die] in these attacks.”
The NSF has also accused the Brotherhood of adopting an “inciting hostility approach” by exaggerating the numbers of deaths and injuries during the clashes. The Brotherhood, as described by the NSF, is seeking to “increase the conflicts, and cause more innocent Egyptian casualties.”
The Front demanded the immediate formation of an independent committee to investigate the incident and present its finding to the interior minister.
The Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, thanked fellow Islamist groups for supporting its bid to preserve the "constitutional legitimacy."
In a statement, it confirmed that it is studying initiatives proposed by a number of politicians, intellectuals and activists to restore democratic legitimacy in Egypt following the July 3 military coup.
"We deeply appreciate the sincere patriotic stands of all the most respectable intellectual symbols and political figures in Egypt, our homeland, who are determined to restore constitutional legitimacy," the Brotherhood said.
"The Brotherhood, as an integral part of the Pro-Legitimacy, Anti-Coup National Alliance, listens to all offers and initiatives on the scene, but can only express an opinion about them after consideration and consultation with all Alliance parties," the Islamist movement added.