In an exclusive one-hour interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy revealed his plans to visit the United States.

“God Willing, I will plan for this trip,” Morsy announced. “There is no set date yet but it will most likely be before the end of the first quarter of this year.”

When asked his thoughts on President Obama, Morsy told Blitzer that he respects and values him. “He played an effective and important role in the cease fire in regards to Gaza and the end of attacks against Gaza,” said Morsy.

Blitzer also asked the Egyptian President about the Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison for his connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

“I want him to be free but I respect the law and the rule of law in Egypt and the United States,” Morsy said. He says he will discuss the issue with President Obama when they meet.

On Syria, Morsy backed calls from Syrians for President Bashar al-Assad to be tried for war crimes.

"The Syrian people through their revolution and through the movement will - when the bloodshed stops - move to a new stage where they will have an independent parliament and a government of their choosing," Morsy, Egypt's first freely elected leader, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in Cairo. "And then they will decide what they want to do to those who committed crimes against them. It is the Syrian people who decide."

More of Blitzer’s wide-ranging interview with Morsy airs this week on “The Situation Room,” airing 4-7pm ET.