Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to US

President Barack Obama has invited Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region's Islamists.

"President Obama extended an invitation to President Morsi to visit the United States when he attends the UN General Assembly in September," Egyptian aide, Yasser Ali, said after Morsi met US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. (Reuters)