UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called upon the leaders of all Egyptian parties to "avoid the path of violence" in order to "prevent further loss of life among the Egyptian people."

"The secretary-general's immediate concern is for the leaders of Egypt, on all sides, to exercise their leadership and their responsibility to do whatever can be done to prevent further loss of life among the Egyptian people," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

"As long as they avoid the path of violence, the secretary-general is confident that the Egyptian people, representing one of the world's great and historic civilizations, will successfully find a way forward," the statement said. "The United Nations remains fully engaged in supporting Egypt."

"The secretary-general repeats his commitment to support non-violent Egyptian-led approaches to meeting the aspirations of the Egyptian people. "