BRUSSELS: EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton called on Egyptian authorities to exercise restraint on Thursday and respect the right of the people to protest peacefully against the leadership.

"I deplore the reported deaths following the demonstrations taking place in Egypt," she said in a statement.

"I call on the Egyptian authorities to fully respect and protect the rights of their citizens to manifest their political aspirations by means of peaceful demonstrations.

"I call on all parties to exercise restraint and on the Egyptian authorities to release all peaceful demonstrators who have been detained."