Egypt's president-elect, the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, tries to earn points as a moderate by picking a Christian and a woman to serve as vice presidents.

REUTERS/Middle East News Agency

gyptian President Mohamed Morsi issued a statement Wednesday saying that the state would respect a decree by Egypt's Higher Constitutional Court to keep the country's parliament dissolved, even though he had ordered lawmakers to convene on Monday. The military dissolved parliament in June, and because the generals assumed power after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown, the military was technically given control of parliamentary work, at least according to Egypt's interim constitution. "We are a state of the law," Morsi said, agreeing to comply, but adding that he would meet with various officials "to pave a suitable way" out of the political standoff that seemed poised to occur between the president and military generals.