Ousted Egypt president 'well' - Ashton

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton says Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi is "well", but that she does not know where he is being held.

Baroness Ashton had two hours of "in-depth" discussions with Morsi on Monday, but declined to give details of what he had told her, insisting: "I'm not going to put words in his mouth." She said that Morsi had access to TV and newspapers and followed developments.

Morsi has been detained since he was overthrown by the military on 3 July. Baroness Ashton's second visit to Egypt in 12 days comes after more than 70 Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with security forces on Saturday.

The ousted leader's allies have said they are planning a major protest in Cairo on Tuesday, and the interim government has warned that any violation of the law will be dealt with "firmly". Security officials have also threatened to dismantle the main protest sit-in at a square near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the capital's north-east, where Saturday's deadly clashes erupted.

Lady Ashton said that after a night journey involving a helicopter ride and other forms of transport, she met Morsi at a military facility.

She said the deposed president was in "good health" and "good humour". "He had been told about half an hour before I arrived that I was coming. He was, I think, pleased to see me," she said. "He is there with two advisers. They are there together. It is a military place. The people around him do care for him. I looked at the facilities."

She added that there was a strong desire among leaders from all sides to find a way out of the crisis. EU officials will keep up discussions to pursue elements that came up during Lady Ashton's visit, and she said she was ready to come back at any time if that would help

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