EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton urged Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak to immediately hold talks with the opposition Monday
and respond to the aspirations of anti-government protesters.
"The legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people should be responded to.
Their aspirations for a just, better future should be met with urgent, concrete
and decisive answers, and with real steps," Ashton said.
"There needs to be a peaceful way forward based on an open and serious
dialogue with the opposition parties and all parts of civil society, and we
believe it needs to happen now," she told reporters ahead of a meeting of
European Union foreign ministers in
Brussels
.