Egypt’s army chief met Saturday night with Islamist leaders to try to resolve the bloody crisis pitting supporters of ousted president Mohammad Mursi against the interim government.

Egypt's army chief met Saturday night with Islamist leaders to try to resolve the bloody crisis pitting supporters of ousted president Mohammad Mursi against the interim government, the army said Sunday.

General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi "met several representatives of the Islamist movements ... and stressed that there are opportunities for a peaceful solution to the crisis provided all sides reject violence," army spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said in a statement.

A military source close to the talks told media outlets that six prominent political and spiritual leaders had attended the meeting with Sisi, but no members of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood were present.

Mursi loyalists have been holding two major sit-ins for more than a month, paralyzing parts of the capital and deepening divisions.

Authorities have repeatedly called on them to go home, promising them a safe exit.

Among those who attended the talks with Sisi were influential Salafist clerics Sheikh Mohammad Hasan and Mohammad Abdul Salam, who just days ago was addressing pro-Mursi supporters from the stage at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in.

"The Islamists who met Sisi, while not members of the Muslim Brotherhood, have been supporting them at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in. Hopefully, the Brotherhood will listen to what they have to say to find a way out of the crisis," a source close to the talks said.