Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak insists on economic and political reforms and promises to expand dialogue with the opposition, according to an address by the president to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, who was appointed on Saturday, read on Egyptian television channel Nile TV on Sunday. "The current situation requires us to review the country's development priorities in order to satisfy the legitimate demands of the people," the president said in his address. He also called on Prime Minister Shafik to establish dialogue with a wide range of parties.

The president's words do not convince the protesters who have been protesting for seven days across the country. They are calling for a general strike on Monday and a protest march on Tuesday.

Police are expected to return to the streets today, but the army will also continue patrolling, Arab news agencies reported. However, neither the police nor the army intends to intervene in the situation and suppress the protests. "In the next few days, stability and security will return," says army Brigadier Atef Said from Suez. "We will allow people to protest. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. We are not here to stop anyone. These are our people."

Yesterday, Mohamed ElBaradei, former Director General of the IAEA, was chosen as the opposition's representative in possible negotiations. Last year, he announced his intention to take part in the March presidential elections, but since then he has rarely appeared in the country, which gave experts grounds to claim that he does not enjoy broad popular support. According to Al-Jazeera, the Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood also supports ElBaradei as a leader in the negotiations and head of a possible government of national unity. "We need a democratic government, no more pharaohs," CNN quotes 39-year-old Egyptian Rami Nabil, a participant in the rally in Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

However, according to the British The Sunday Times, it will no longer be Mubarak who will lead the reforms and negotiate with the demonstrators. Two of the president's closest aides - one of them, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who was appointed vice president on Saturday, and Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi - called on the president to flee the country over the weekend.

The US is also preparing for a change of power in Egypt, the publication claims, citing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who on Sunday declared the need for a peaceful transfer of power in Egypt. The US understands that Mubarak's time has passed, a CNN source in the administration of US President Barack Obama claims.

Israel insists on Mubarak remaining in power. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has called on its ambassadors in the US, Europe and Russia to convey to the leadership of these countries that Egypt needs stability, and for this, Mubarak must remain at the helm of the country, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

If the US and Europe turn their backs on Egypt's authorities, the signal will be read in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and could force the regimes to change their attitude toward Western partners, Israeli diplomats warn.

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