The European Union is playing a mediation role in helping to restore civilian rule in Egypt, where it is an important source of foreign aid, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.

"We have already played a very important role as facilitator in Egypt, and we will continue to do that," said Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton.

Ashton, on her second visit to Egypt this month, met ousted president Mohammed Morsi at an undisclosed location late on Monday. She was the first person officially allowed to meet Morsi since his July 3 ouster.

Ashton was "shuttling" between the parties to press her message for a peaceful, all-inclusive transition back to civilian rule in the Arab world's most populous country, Mann said.

"It is an important role because everybody is ready to talk to us ... it is not because of the pressure of one country or another, it's because we can play this role."

Asked what levers the EU could use in Egypt, Mann said Brussels was a major supplier of aid to Cairo, put at 450 million euros ($600 million) for 2011-13, which was conditional.

"That does not mean that there is direct pressure but ... in recent months we have not given much aid given the lack of political progress," Mann added.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 07/31/2013 page10)