CAIRO
UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman had sought to meet with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood during his visit to Cairo last week, but had failed to do so, a Muslim Brotherhood leader said Sunday.
"Feltman called me and told me he was in Egypt… to examine the situation and listen to the viewpoints of all parties. He said he was interested in hearing our point of view," Amr Darrag, a senior Brotherhood member and former government minister, told AA.
According to Darrag, Feltman had sought to meet with representatives of the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of Islamist parties that support ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
"But circumstances prevented the meeting from materializing," he added.
Feltman, who left Cairo last Friday following a four-day visit, had met with interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi and Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi.
At a Thursday meeting with al-Beblawi, Feltman said his visit to Egypt was aimed at "better understanding the situation and hearing the news straight from the sources," according to a statement issued by the government following the meeting.
The UN official, however, did not meet with Muslim Brotherhood leaders or with any groups that support the deposed leader.
Darrag said his phone conversation with Feltman had covered the pro-Morsi alliance's position on the political crisis and a recent wave of attacks on Egyptian churches. He declined to elaborate further.
The leading Brotherhood member stressed that the group was not currently in contact with any foreign parties.
Last week, a high-profile diplomatic source at the UN told Anadolu Agency from New York that Feltman's visit aimed to look into ways in which the international body might help Egypt's rival factions find a solution to the political crisis.
Egypt has been in a state of turmoil since the army ousted Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president, after mass demonstrations against him.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
