The Supreme
Constitutional Court had said certain articles in the law governing the
parliamentary elections were invalid, annulling the Islamist-led house.
But Morsi on Sunday
ordered the lower house to reconvene, and parliament speaker Saad
al-Katatni has invited members to meet at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) on Tuesday,
in line with the presidential decree.
The court's move could
spark a confrontation between Morsi, who stepped down from the
Brotherhood when he was sworn in last month, and the SCAF as well as the
judiciary.
The presidency insisted the decree "neither contradicts nor contravenes the ruling by the constitutional court."
The ruling does not
need to be implemented immediately, said presidential spokesman Yasser
Ali, arguing that Morsi's decision "takes into account the higher
interest of the state and the people."
The latest confrontation prompted the United States on Monday to urge Egypt to respect "democratic principles."
US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton is due in Egypt on July 14 to express US support for the
process of democratic transition in the US ally state.
Washington lavishly
supported Mubarak during his 30 years in power but analysts say US
officials will now have to work with multiple centers of power --
including a military seen as restricting Morsi's room for maneuver.
During a visit to
Cairo, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle held out the prospect
of fresh investment and trade if Egypt continues on the road of
democratic progress
Germany has been one
of the biggest financial backers of Egypt's transition, but investment
and tourism have lagged as a result of the political turmoil in the
country.
The constitutional
court stressed that it was "not a part of any political conflict... but
the limit of its sacred duty is the protection of the texts of the
constitution."
The SCAF also insisted that the texts of the constitution must be upheld.
It was not clear how the court's ruling would be enforced.
Morsi's decision
caused a "political earthquake," some media reported on Monday, and it
also angered some secular parties which had slammed the Muslim
Brotherhood's monopolisation of power since the start of the uprising.
"In any decent and
democratic country, a president cannot disrespect the judiciary," said
Rifaat al-Said, head of the leftist Al-Tagammu party.
"Whether Morsi likes it or not, he must respect the judiciary's decisions," he told state television.
After parliament was
annulled last month, the SCAF issued a constitutional declaration
granting the military sweeping powers, and in the absence of a
parliament -- in which nearly half of seats were won by the Brotherhood
and another quarter by hardline Salafists -- it assumed legislative
power.
SCAF's document, which
rendered the presidency toothless, caused outrage among those calling
for the military to return to barracks.
Instead of being sworn in before parliament, the 60-year-old Morsi took the oath on June 30 before the constitutional court.