Ashton has 'in-depth' meeting with Morsi

'Not going anywhere'

The Egyptian government has ordered the Brotherhood to abandon a vigil it has maintained with thousands of supporters camping out to demand Morsi's return. The Brotherhood said it will not leave the streets unless Morsi is restored.

"It's very simple, we are not going anywhere," said Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad. "We are going to increase the protest."

Raising the prospect of more bloodshed, the Brotherhood has said it would hold marches again on Tuesday.

The violence has raised global concern that the army may try to crush the Brotherhood, a movement that emerged from decades in the shadows to win power in elections after Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring movement against Hosni Mubarak.

Ashton met General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the head of the army and the man who overthrew Egypt's first freely elected president. She also held talks with members of the interim government installed by the army, and with representatives of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political wing.

Thousands of Brotherhood supporters have been camped out for a month at Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, demanding Morsi's reinstatement and defying threats by the army-backed authorities to remove them.

Ashton has reportedly decided to extend her stay in Egypt for further meetings and to reinforce the EU's message to Cairo.

Ashton attempted to serve as a mediator earlier this year and is seen by both sides as an important neutral voice in a country where Washington is looked upon with suspicion.

Reuters-AP-Xinhua