Diplomats from the United States, European Union and the Gulf have visited a senior member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in jail, state media reported Monday, amid efforts to end a political stalemate in the country dpa reported.
After getting permission from the prosecutor's office, the delegation met with Khairat al-Shater, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, for an hour just after midnight in the maximum-security al-Aqrab prison.
Al-Shater, seen as the most influential man in the Islamist group, is facing charges of inciting deadly violence against opponents. His trial starts on August 25.
The delegation included US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah and an EU representative.
However, an Interior Ministry spokesman denied the meeting took place.
The Muslim Brotherhood neither denied nor confirmed the meeting. It said "Mohammed Morsi is the legitimate elected president, and he alone represents the Egyptian people; whoever wants to talk to the Egyptians in any matter has to meet with him."
Morsi was ousted by the army on July 3, after millions of people took to the streets demanding his resignation and fresh elections.
The Muslim Brotherhood has condemned Morsi's toppling as a coup and vowed to continue protesting until Egypt's first democratically elected president is reinstated.
Burns has been in Egypt for the past three days, pushing for a solution to the crisis.
Two US senators - Lindsey Graham and John McCain - are expected to travel to Egypt as early as Monday for talks with the military government and opposition groups.