Egypt military leader: We will respect all previously signed agreements

             The head of Egypt's ruling military council Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi said on Saturday that Egypt intends to keep all previously signed agreements and will keep working toward achieving a stable and sustainable peace in the Middle East. Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979. Tantawi, Egypt's interim leader in the run-up to elections in September, also stated that Egypt will continue to strengthen its ties with all Arab states, and will once again be a major player in the Arab, Middle Eastern, and African worlds, respectively. Meanwhile, confrontations continued in Cairo’s Tahrir Sqaure between young people demanding immediate reforms and the Egyptian military. Several opposition groups have called for renewed protests to demand the resignation of the government and the resolving of unmet demands. The confrontations come in the wake of the swearing-in of a new cabinet earlier this week, in which the 13 ministers from Hosni Mubarak’s previous government retained their posts. Mubarak, 83, was swept aside in a popular revolt in February. He is due to stand trial on August 3 on charges of power abuse, corruption and involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters. (12,00)