Supreme Council of Armed Forces says Egypt would remain committed to all regional and international treaties

Cairo's new military leadership on Saturday vowed to pave the way for democracy and abide by its regional and international treaties as Egyptians basked in their victory a day after Hosni Mubarak's overthrow.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said the current government would remain in place for a peaceful transition to "an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state," though it set no timetable.

Headed by a longtime Mubarak loyalist, 75-year-old Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces clarified its plans with "Communiqué Number 4," read by a spokesman on state TV.
  
It said Egypt would "remain committed to all its regional and international treaties."

The statement said that the current government would remain in place temporarily until a new one could be sworn in after a "peaceful transition." It also said it would pave the way for "an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state," although it set no timetable.
  
The army was widely praised for allowing the massive demonstrations to unfold peacefully, but the protesters have demanded civilian government and said they will return to the streets in the absence of a swift transition.
  
News of the military's latest announcement was slow to reach Tahrir Square, but Ed Mustafa, 39, a hotel industry trainer, said he would remain patient. "I'll be happy to give them a year. We need some assistance to return to democracy, but I don't want the army to take over," he said. "We thank them, they look after us, but we want a civilian government that knows about education and health care. I don't think they can do that."

Mubarak resigned on Friday after a 30-year-reign and handed power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, a body of some 20 generals who were mostly unknown to the general public before the uprising that brought him down.