Amid mediation, Egypt decries ‘foreign pressure’

CAIRO: The spokesman for Egypt’s interim president is decrying “foreign pressure” in a strongly worded message that appears to indicate Cairo’s uneasiness toward a flurry of visits by American, European and Gulf envoys aimed at mediating a standoff with supporters of the ousted president.
Ahmed El-Musalamani, a spokesman for interim president Adly Mansour, told reporters on Tuesday that “foreign pressure has exceeded international standards.”
Two US senators visiting Cairo urged both sides in Egypt’s political crisis to start a national dialogue and to avoid violence.
Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, on a mission for US President Barack Obama to help resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow of President Muhammad Mursi last month, also called for the release of political prisoners. It would be the wrong time to cut off military aid to Egypt, they said.