Egypt allows EU envoy to see deposed Mohamed Morsi

His fate 8211; and a deadly crackdown by security forces on his supporters 8211; has raised global anxiety about a possible bid to crush Mohamed Morsi8217;s Muslim Brotherhood,a movement that emerged from decades in the shadows to win power in elections after the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

The state8217;s MENA news agency reported early on Wednesday that an African delegation headed by former Malian President Alfa Omar Konari held a one-hour meeting with Mohamed Morsi.

The agency gave no details on the visit nor when it took place but said some of the delegation8217;s members will host a news conference later on Wednesday after meeting with Arab League officials to discuss the latest developments in Egypt.

Ashton had revealed little about what she called a 8220;friendly,open and very frank8221; two-hour conversation with the deposed president. An aide said they had 8220;in-depth8221; talks.

8220;I8217;ve tried to make sure that his family knows he is well,8221; said Ashton,who has emerged as one of the only figures accepted by both sides as mediator in a conflict that has found the United States cast as a meddling hand.

Flown to the meeting by military helicopter,Ashton said Mohamed Morsi had access to television and newspapers and was informed about the situation in the country. 8220;I saw where he was,8221; she said. 8220;I don8217;t know where he is,but I saw the facilities he has.8221;

Ashton spent Monday shuttling between Egypt8217;s rulers and the Brotherhood to try to pull the country back from more bloodshed.

In a possible sign of progress,a spokesman for Ashton said EU envoy Bernadino Leon would travel to Cairo on Wednesday to 8220;continue the work.8221;

ARMY ROAD MAP

Nearly 300 people have been killed in violence since Mohamed Morsi was removed,including 80 of his supporters gunned down at dawn on Saturday as they marched from a month-long vigil at a mosque in northern Cairo.

The crisis has left Washington treading a fine line with a pivotal Arab ally that it funds with 1.3 billion a year in military aid and whose stability is of crucial importance to Middle East peace.

On Tuesday,Lindsey Graham said he and fellow U.S. Republican Senator John McCain 8211; both members of the chamber8217;s Armed Services Committee 8211; hoped to travel to Egypt next week at the request of President Barack Obama. Graham said specifics of the trip,including whom they would meet,had not yet been decided.

Ashton stressed the need for an 8220;inclusive8221; process to ending the confrontation,one that would necessarily include the Brotherhood. But Egypt8217;s army-installed interim government made clear Morsi would not be part of it.

8220;No,8221; interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei told a joint news conference with Ashton when asked whether Morsi could be part of a future process of negotiation and reconciliation.

8220;I think there is a new road map,8221; ElBaradei said. 8220;Mr Morsi failed,but the Brotherhood very much continue to be part of the political process and we would like them to continue to be part of the political process.8221;

He said an end to violence,which the government blames on its foes,would allow the shutdown of the Brotherhood8217;s sit-in protests and create room for dialogue. The Brotherhood accuses the security forces of stirring up the violence to justify their crackdown on the Islamists.

Media have speculated about why the military-backed rulers would have allowed Ashton to meet the ousted leader,who had been kept incommunicado for a month.

She denied carrying an offer to Morsi of 8220;safe exit8221; if he were to renounce his claim to the presidency.

Many people have suggested such an arrangement could be part of a deal that would allow the Brotherhood to leave the streets and join an army-backed 8220;road map8221; to civilian rule,but would require Morsi to abandon his historic mandate as Egypt8217;s first freely elected leader.

CALL FOR RELEASE

The road map envisions parliamentary elections in about six months to be followed by presidential polls. Accusing the army of mounting a coup,the Brotherhood says it wants nothing to do with it. The army said it acted in response to mass protests last month against Morsi.

Meeting Morsi was a condition of Ashton8217;s offer to visit Egypt,where she also met the general who removed him and other leaders on her second trip in 12 days.

Since the fall of Mubarak as the Arab Spring revolutions took hold more than two years ago,the Arab world8217;s most populous nation has remained in turmoil,arousing concern among allies in the West and in neighbouring Israel,with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.

Egypt8217;s authorities say Morsi is being investigated on accusations including murder,stemming from a 2011 jail break when he escaped detention during protests against Mubarak.

The Brotherhood says the accusations,including conspiring with the Palestinian group Hamas,are absurd and trumped up to justify his detention. He has not been officially charged.