Egypt: Search for peaceful end to protest standoff not open-ended

CAIRO – Egypt's highest security body has warned that the search for a peaceful end to a standoff over sit-ins by supporters of the ousted president is not open-ended.

The National Defense Council, which is led by the interim president and includes top ministers, met late on Saturday and issued a statement on Sunday.

The statement said that any negotiated end to the sit-ins by Mohammed Morsi supporters would not spare what it called "law-breakers" and others who incite against the state.

The military ousted Morsi in a July 3 coup that followed days of mass protests in which millions of Egyptians called on the Islamist leader to step down. Morsi's supporters are camped in two Cairo squares demanding his reinstatement.

The U.S. and EU are trying to mediate a peaceful resolution.