Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is heading Wednesday to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip since being sworn in, leaving behind a simmering dispute with the country's top court over his decision to reinstate dissolved parliament, dpa reported.
The Supreme Constitutional Court Tuesday ruled against Morsi's decision, calling it an obstacle to the implementation of its June 14 verdict that invalidated the lower house of parliament.
The court said the legislature's electoral law was unconstitutional because it allowed political parties to contest seats allocated for independents.
The presidency said Wednesday it would "respect" the ruling, without elaboration.
"We will consult with legal institutions to devise the best way out of this deadlock," it added in a statement cited by state television.
Islamists, including Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, hold a clear majority in the parliament elected earlier this year.
The army generals, who ruled Egypt until Morsi's inauguration, have called for state institutions to "respect" constitutional statutes, in a veiled opposition of the president's move.
Nobel Prize laureate and former head of the UN nuclear watchdog Mohammad ElBaradei Wednesday suggested talks between Morsi, the powerful military and the judiciary to resolve the crisis by agreeing on a temporary constitution.
Morsi, who took office last month as Egypt's first freely elected civilian president, decreed the house to reconvene and called for an early parliamentary election 60 days after a permanent constitution is approved in a referendum.
In Saudi Arabia, Morsi will seek to strengthen ties with the world's top oil exporter, according to local media.
He will hold talks with King Abdullah and senior officials in the monarchy, which had close links with Hosny Mubarak, who was forced to step down in a popular uprising last year.
The Saudi monarchy fears that Arab Spring uprisings that ousted leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen could spark a revolt by the Shiite minority in the kingdom.
Egyptian-Saudi ties hit a low in May, when the kingdom recalled its envoy to Cairo after demonstrations outside its embassy to protest the detention in Saudi Arabia of an Egyptian man on suspicion of drug smuggling and reported abuses of Egyptians working there.
An estimated 1.5 million Egyptians work in Saudi Arabia.
Egyptian first lady Naglaa Ali Mahmoud will perform a minor pilgrimage in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, sources told dpa.
She will not meet with any Saudi officials or royals during the two-day visit, added the sources.
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