EU foreign affairs chief pushes for Egypt vote

CAIRO (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in Egypt that she would urge the current leadership to hold elections as soon as possible.

"I will urge the current leadership to make progress with constitutional change paving the way for free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections," Ashton, who was in Egypt on Tuesday, said in a statement released before her visit.

"The EU stands ready to support the democratic transition and I intend to discuss in Cairo how the EU can best assist Egypt," she said.

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was toppled on February 11 after mass protests, and the country is now being governed by a military council. His ousting followed the fall of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Both were close allies of the West.

The trip by Ashton, who is the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, follows a visit to Egypt on Monday by British Prime Minister David Cameron, the first by a foreign leader since Mubarak quit.

William J. Burns, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, also visited on Monday.

(Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Michael Roddy)