Mursi to speak as Egypt's Islamists seek way out of crisis

Men queue to walk through a gap of a wall, which was built by police in order to prevent clashes between protesters and police at Tahrir Square in Cairo, November 29, 2012 after Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi issued a decree temporarily widening his powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

CAIRO (Reuters) - The body drafting Egypt's new constitution will start voting on a final draft on Thursday, a move President Mohamed Mursi's allies in the Muslim Brotherhood hope will help end a crisis prompted by a decree expanding his powers.

Mursi is expected to call for national unity in a public address at 7.00 p.m. (5.00 p.m. British time), seeking to ease the crisis, which has set off a week of protests and threatens to derail early signs of economic recovery.