The army, custodian of power after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak promised on Saturday a "peaceful transition" towards "an elected civilian power" and pledged to respect international treaties signed by Egypt, whose agreements peace with Israel.
Tens of thousands of Egyptians continued into the evening to celebrate the fall of the rais, the day before fallen under pressure from the street after three decades in power, on Tahrir Square in Cairo, the epicenter of the revolt launched on 25 January.
The supreme council of the armed forces, an instance of military leaders who took control of the country, announced that the government appointed by Mr.Mubarak a few days before his departure remain in place to manage the current business.
Egypt "will remain committed to all its regional and international treaties," he said.Egypt is with Jordan, the only Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
The Jewish State, which did not hide his fears in recent days in Cairo to see emerge a new power hostile to the agreement, welcomed these "assurances", adding that the treaty was "a cornerstone for peace and stability throughout the Middle East. "
The army has also committed to a "peaceful transition of power" who "prepare the ground for an elected civilian authority to build a free democratic state," said the council in the text read by a soldier on TV State, without giving a timetable.
The U.S. president, Barack Obama, praised in the evening that promise a return to civilian rule and respect for international obligations of Egypt.
"This government and the governors will continue to work until a new government is formed," added the council, headed by Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, 75, the new strongman of the country.
The government held its first meeting Sunday since the resignation of Mr. Mubarak, the agency Mena.
In the evening, tens of thousands of people were still gathered in Tahrir Square.In a friendly atmosphere, they listened to a group sing Arabic folk music and patriotic songs.
Earlier, many volunteers, armed with brooms and bags, had engaged in cleaning the place."Yesterday I showed today, I'm building," proclaimed sheets taped to their clothes.
The Army has cleared barricades and barbed wire around the square and cranes removed the carcasses of burned cars, reminders of the violent clashes between police and demonstrators, and between pro-and anti-Mubarak, during the revolt killed at least 300 deaths, according to UN and Human Rights Watch.
A Ismailiya, a large town on the Suez Canal, hundreds of police in protest against corruption in their ranks.
But 600 prisoners escaped Saturday from a prison in Cairo after the riots, according to security services who report several casualties.
On the Judiciary, the Attorney General has banned the former Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif and the current Minister of Information Anas el-Fekkai leave the country "in light of complaints filed against them," Mena reported , without elaborating on what they were accused. Public television has announced shortly after the resignation of Mr. Fekkai.
Despite the euphoria and uncertainty, life resumed its course. The curfew has been eased: it will begin at midnight instead of 20:00 (1800 GMT) and lasted until 6:00 am (0400 GMT). The Cairo Stock Exchange, closed since Jan. 27, should reopen Wednesday, said on state television.
The announcement of the resignation of Mr.Mubarak intervened in the 18th day of the uprising, while over a million people demonstrating against the rais through Egypt, a country of more than 80 million people. According to his party, he left Cairo to Sharm el-Sheikh (Sinai), where he has a residence.
Saudi Arabia, who had supported Mr.Mubarak during the revolt, Saturday welcomed the "peaceful transition", and the organization of Islamic Conference has "welcomed" the Egyptians and urged other Arab and Muslim leaders to accelerate their reforms.
Beyond Egypt, the announcement of the fall of the regime has caused an explosion of joy in many countries of the region, especially in Tunis, where a similar protest movement had driven President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali four weeks earlier.
In Yemen, thousands of young people demonstrated on Saturday in Sana'a to call for resignation of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, and Gaza, close to 2,000 students of the Islamist movement Hamas celebrated the fall of Mr. Mubarak.A thousand Israeli Arabs have also marched in Nazareth (northern Israel).
