Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has called on political powers and Egyptians to engage in dialogue and on militants who possess weapons to turn them in.
Morsy spoke to the press on Wednesday morning at the Almaza airforce base in Cairo, where he received the seven soldiers who were kidnapped last week in Sinai and then released after an Egyptian military operation on Tuesday night.
"We are not warmongers, though we can enforce order," he said, emphasizing that only those in power should possess weapons.
"To all my brothers who are concerned about public and political affairs and who love Egypt from among politicians and the opposition, let us embrace broader horizons and be part of one system to reach a consensus and love one another so each of us can tell the other what he or she wants,” he said.
This is the third time for Morsy to call on political forces to join him in dialogue. Previous invitations were boycotted by major secular opposition parties such as Dostour and Popular Current, saying that Morsy's invitations were not serious.
"I extend my hand to all of those who want good for this country– and I believe everyone does — in order for us to genuinely be the owners of the 25 January revolution. Let us be one body even if we have to step on thorns.”
In his remarks, Morsy commended the Armed Forces for the “very precise operation" they carried out to liberate the abducted soldiers, praising the fact that they preserved the lives of Sinai residents.
"We have a unified leadership and one major goal, a government that carries out its role, farmers who produce, an industry that functions, and investments that create opportunities."
Morsy also touched upon the economic issue of the government’s reconciliation with businessmen linked to the previous regime who have been accused of corruption.
"Let us sit and talk and look forward not backwards,” he said. “Let us reconcile with those businessmen and investors who want reconciliation.”
With regards to the current state of lawlessness in the Sinai Peninsula, he said: “Those who have weapons should turn them in and those who have grievances should submit them.”
