Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi debuts at UN Sep 26, 2012
7:41 AM (ET) By DIAA HADID
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Egypt's new President Mohammed Morsi debuts at the
United Nations on Wednesday with a speech that will be closely watched
by world leaders for clues about his democratic intentions and plans for
lifting his country out of crippling poverty.
Morsi, an Islamist and key figure in the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood,
is the first democratically elected leader of the ancient land at the
heart of the Arab world. He was sworn in June 30.
He is one of a pair of Arab leaders who will be making their first
appearances at the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting
after being swept into power in the Arab Spring revolutions. Also taking
the podium will be Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who took
office in February after more than a year of political turmoil and is
now trying to steer the country's transition to democracy.
The Egyptian leader previewed his General Assembly remarks in a speech
delivered Tuesday at former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative.
Addressing the violence that raged across the Muslim world in response
to a video produced in the U.S. that denigrated Islam's Prophet
Muhammad, Morsi said freedom of expression must come with
"responsibility."
He
appeared to have been responding to President Barack Obama's General
Assembly speech earlier Tuesday in which the U.S. leader again condemned
the video but sternly defended the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of
free speech.
At least 51 people were killed in violence that erupted last week in
Muslim countries, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other
Americans targeted in an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi.
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