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An image grab from Egyptian Nile TV shows Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak giving a television speech from an unspecified location in Egypt.
Mubarak, who has never appointed a vice president and is widely believed to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him, said his government had undertaken political reforms since 2005 that had increased the public's role in politics.
"I say with sincerity and frankness that I welcome the interplay and movement in society, as long as it follows the constitution," he said in a television speech to mark 28 years since Israel withdrew from the Sinai.
The address was broadcast hours after state television showed him attending a ceremony at a war memorial in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia.
It was his first public event since he returned to Egypt last month after convalescing for three weeks at a German hospital. He chaired a cabinet meeting earlier this month and has again begun receiving heads of state.
Mubarak said the future of the country would not be decided by "vituperation," in an apparent reference to opposition demands for changes to the constitution and an end to the country's state of emergency.
That was imposed in 1981 after the assassination by Islamists during a military parade in Cairo of Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat, who had signed a peace treaty with Israel two years previously.
"I wish to reaffirm my commitment to the integrity of these elections, and I welcome every national and sincere effort that proposes a view or solutions to the issues and problems of our nation, and does not gamble with its security, stability and future," Mubarak said.
Egypt's disorganised secular opposition movements were galvanised earlier this year with the return to the country of former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei to launch a new reform movement.
ElBaradei has said he would stand for president, but only if the constitution is amended to remove restrictions on independent candidates.
Mubarak overwhelmingly won Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005. However, the distant runner-up, Ayman Nur, was jailed shortly afterwards on fraud charges that he said were contrived.
Egypt is also set to hold parliamentary elections later this year.
The last election, in 2005, was marred by police intervention when candidates affiliated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement appeared poised to win most of the seats they contested.
The Islamists, who now control a fifth of parliament, are expected to field fewer candidates this year after a crackdown on the group's leadership.
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"I say with sincerity and frankness that I welcome the interplay and movement in society, as long as it follows the constitution," he said in a television speech to mark 28 years since Israel withdrew from the Sinai.
The address was broadcast hours after state television showed him attending a ceremony at a war memorial in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia.
It was his first public event since he returned to Egypt last month after convalescing for three weeks at a German hospital. He chaired a cabinet meeting earlier this month and has again begun receiving heads of state.
Mubarak said the future of the country would not be decided by "vituperation," in an apparent reference to opposition demands for changes to the constitution and an end to the country's state of emergency.
That was imposed in 1981 after the assassination by Islamists during a military parade in Cairo of Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat, who had signed a peace treaty with Israel two years previously.
"I wish to reaffirm my commitment to the integrity of these elections, and I welcome every national and sincere effort that proposes a view or solutions to the issues and problems of our nation, and does not gamble with its security, stability and future," Mubarak said.
Egypt's disorganised secular opposition movements were galvanised earlier this year with the return to the country of former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei to launch a new reform movement.
ElBaradei has said he would stand for president, but only if the constitution is amended to remove restrictions on independent candidates.
Mubarak overwhelmingly won Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005. However, the distant runner-up, Ayman Nur, was jailed shortly afterwards on fraud charges that he said were contrived.
Egypt is also set to hold parliamentary elections later this year.
The last election, in 2005, was marred by police intervention when candidates affiliated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement appeared poised to win most of the seats they contested.
The Islamists, who now control a fifth of parliament, are expected to field fewer candidates this year after a crackdown on the group's leadership.
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