New Egyptian president Morsi calls for unity, peace in first speech

Egyptian president-elect Mohammed Morsi gave his first televised speech on state TV since being declared the next leader Sunday, calling for unity and saying he carries “a message of peace” to the world.

Morsi pledged to preserve Egypt’s international accords, a reference to the peace deal with Israel, saying “we will honor international treaties and agreements, and will create balanced international relations based on mutual interests and respect.”

“I’m fully aware of the challenges ahead, but I’m confident with your support we can overcome this transitional period,” added Morsi.

He said Egypt would not allow other countries to meddle in its affairs, in a possible reference to accusations over the weekend that the US had attempted to influence the outcome of the elections.

Morsi addressed the country’s Coptic minority, saying Egypt was always composed of both Christians and Muslims and it will remain this way.

“As Egyptians — Muslims and Christians — we are the forebears of civilization. We’ll face any conspiracies,” said the newly elected president.

He paid tribute to nearly 900 protesters killed in last year’s uprising, saying without the “blood of the martyrs,” he would not have made it to the presidency. He also thanked the army, police, and judiciary for their service to Egypt.

In a non-confrontational speech, he did not mention the last-minute power grab by the ruling military that stripped the president of most of his major powers.

Morsi became Egypt’s first freely elected leader Sunday, when an elections commission announced he had beaten secular candidate Ahmed Shafiq in a hotly contested race.

Morsi hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, a hard-line Islamic party, leading to fears in Israel that the already cold peace between the countries could be frozen further with his election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.