Morsi asks for patience in fixing Egyptian issues

CAIRO – Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi pleaded Wednesday night with his countrymen to give him more time to solve his country’s many ills, arguing in what many believe was the most important speech of his political life that Egypt cannot change leaders every year.

Morsi’s televised address, which lasted more than two hours and did not end until after midnight, came on a day when building tensions were obvious ahead of the first anniversary Sunday of his inauguration. Motorists waited for hours to buy gasoline in lines that stretched for miles, tanks took up positions on Cairo street corners, and residents nationwide braced for what they fear will be prolonged civil unrest as Morsi supporters and opponents plan for competing demonstrations.

“All I ask is for you to listen, discuss, put the nation’s interest above anything else,” Morsi said in a speech that opened with verses from the Quran, well-wishes to Muslims for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan and gratitude to those who lost their lives during the 2011 uprising that ended the three-decade rule of Hosni Mubarak.

In an appeal to opponents, Morsi said he would appoint a broad-based committee to make changes to the constitution that was hastily passed in December. He also said he would create a national reconciliation committee to break the political impasse.

The performance seemed unlikely to calm the two sides. Inside the hall where Morsi spoke, supporters saw a man who defended himself against rumors and unfair charges, and they cheered.

But in iconic Tahrir Square, where the demonstrations that toppled Mubarak began, spectators could barely hear the speech over chants of “Leave!” Huge protests are expected in the next few days.