Egypt's new military rulers have vowed to pave the way for a democratically elected civilian government and to abide by all international treaties in the wake of Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

In a televised statement entitled "Communique Number 4," the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces also said that the current government would remain in place temporarily until a new one could be sworn in.

The announcement came as Egyptians celebrated their first day free from Mr Mubarak's autocratic rule following 18 days of protests.

Mr Mubarak's resignation overnight saw the protests instantly turn to celebration across Egypt and the world when vice president Omar Suleiman made the announcement on national television.

The military council said it would "pave the way for an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state," although it set no official timetable.

"The current government and governors undertake to manage affairs until the formation of a new government," a senior army officer said in a statement delivered on state television.

The council went on to say it would "remain committed to all its regional and international treaties," implicitly confirming that Egypt's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Israel would remain intact. Saudi Arabia said it welcomed the peaceful transition of power in Egypt.

The announcement was the clearest statement yet on the military's plans following Mr Mubarak's ouster by a nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

The army also announced that it would "look to guarantee the peaceful transition of power in the framework of a free, democratic system which allows an elected, civilian power to govern the country to build a democratic, free state".

Job not over

Meanwhile, pro-democracy activists in Cairo's Tahrir Square vowed to stay there until the Higher Military Council now running Egypt accepted the agenda for democratic reform.

Crowds celebrated in the square, while organisers urged the army to meet demands including the dissolution of a fraudulently elected parliament and the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency used by Mr Mubarak to crush opposition and dissent.

While some veteran protesters took down their tents, others were staying on.

"This is the start of the revolution, it's not over yet, but I have to go back to work," said Mohammed Saeed, 30, who was packing away his tent.

Mohammed Farrag, 31, who was also decamping after 18 days, said he believed stability was returning. "But, at the end of the day, we will not give up on Egypt as a civilian state, not a military state," he said.

"If things move away from our demands, we will go into the street again, even if we have to die as martyrs."

Many wanted to see the immediate end to emergency laws.

"People's Communique No. 1", issued by the protest organisers, demands the dissolution of the cabinet Mr Mubarak appointed on January 29 and the suspension of the parliament elected in a rigged vote late last year.

The reformists want a transitional five-member presidential council made up of four civilians and one military person.

The communique calls for the formation of a transitional government to prepare for an election to take place within nine months, and of a body to draft a new democratic constitution.

It demands freedom for the media and syndicates, which represent groups such as lawyers, doctors and engineers, and for the formation of political parties. Military and emergency courts must be scrapped, the communique says.

People power

Despite misgivings about military rule, the best deterrent to any military attempt to maintain dominance could be the street power and energy of protesters nationwide who swept out Mr Mubarak because he governed without their consent.

The first priority in Egypt was restoring law and order before the start of the working week on Sunday. Army tanks and soldiers stayed on the streets guarding intersections and key buildings after the disgraced police force melted away.

With the threat of confrontation between the army and protesters now gone, Cairo residents took photographs of each other holding flowers with smiling soldiers at roadblocks to record the first day of a new post-Mubarak era.

People were buying bundles of state-owned newspapers proclaiming "The Revolution of the Youths forced Mubarak to leave" with pictures of celebrations to keep as treasured souvenirs of this landmark in Egypt's history.

The army dismantled checkpoints around Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protest movement, and some makeshift barricades were being removed. Volunteers cleaned up while a carnival atmosphere lingered.

Egyptians were desperate to restore normality and get back to work after the tumult, which claimed about 300 or more lives and damaged the nation's economy.

No clear leader

Egypt's opposition had been throttled by emergency rule imposed after Mr Mubarak succeeded Anwar Sadat, shot dead by an Islamist army officer in 1981, and there has been no obvious leader to spearhead Egypt's revolution.

Among possible leaders was Ayman Nour, who challenged Mr Mubarak in the most recent presidential election and was later charged with forgery and jailed for three years in what Mr Nour said was a politically motivated case.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, has often won Arab public support for his outspoken comments. Mr Moussa said he would leave the pan-Arab body which he headed for about 10 years within weeks.

There were also some popular members from the Muslim Brotherhood group and other opposition parties. It was still unclear if any of the anonymous youth leaders behind the well-organised revolt wanted or would be allowed to hold office.

Another possibility was Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leading opposition activist who started a campaign last year for democracy and Mr Mubarak out.

-AFP/Reuters