Cairo:
It's the first significant step towards a peaceful political transition in Egypt. Reports have emerged in the Egyptian media that the government and the Opposition have agreed to review the Constitution and lead the country to a future sans foreign interference.
The agreement comes after almost two weeks of protests and chaos on the streets of Cairo which resulted in nearly 13 deaths.
The agreement was arrived at after day-long talks between Vice President Omar Suleiman and the Opposition leaders, including supporters of Mohammad ElBaradei, Muslim Brotherhood, and a number of smaller Leftist, liberal groups, according to footage shown on state television.
However, so far there appears to be no indication that Mubarak would step down immediately as demanded by the thousands of protesters who have been camping at Cairo's Tahrir Square.
The Vice President endorsed a plan with the Opposition to set up a committee of judiciary and political figures to study proposed Constitutional amendments that would allow more candidates to run for President and impose term limits on the presidency, the state news agency reported. The committee was given until the first week of March to finish the tasks.
The regime also pledged not to harass those participating in the anti-government protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands at the biggest rallies. The government also agreed not to hamper freedom of press and not to interfere with text messaging and Internet.
Sunday's meeting was the broadest representation of Egypt's fragmented Opposition to meet with the new Vice President since the protests demanding the immediate ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak began on January 25.
The reports also added that both sides have rejected foreign interference in the transition.
The rejection of foreign interference is being seen as an important step within Egypt considering the fact that Washington has been working behind the scenes to broker this transition.
The two sides also agreed at the meeting that the government would open an office that would field complaints about political prisoners, according to the state news agency.
The government also pledged to commission judicial authorities to fight corruption and prosecute those behind it. It agreed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the yet unexplained disappearance of police from Cairo's streets more than a week ago, which unleashed a wave of lawless looting and arson.
Egypt's emergency laws were imposed by Mubarak when he took office in 1981 and they have been in force ever since. The laws give police far-reaching powers for detention and suppression of civil and human rights. Lifting the laws has been a longtime demand by the opposition.
Earlier on Saturday, top leaders of Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party - including Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal Mubarak - had resigned following increasing pressure, both from protesters as well as the West.
The streets of Cairo, meanwhile, saw life limping back to normalcy on Sunday. After days of massive protests, the assembly at the Tahrir Square thinned and the banks and other public institutions opened. The traffic on roads was normal.
The agreement comes after almost two weeks of protests and chaos on the streets of Cairo which resulted in nearly 13 deaths.
The agreement was arrived at after day-long talks between Vice President Omar Suleiman and the Opposition leaders, including supporters of Mohammad ElBaradei, Muslim Brotherhood, and a number of smaller Leftist, liberal groups, according to footage shown on state television.
However, so far there appears to be no indication that Mubarak would step down immediately as demanded by the thousands of protesters who have been camping at Cairo's Tahrir Square.
The Vice President endorsed a plan with the Opposition to set up a committee of judiciary and political figures to study proposed Constitutional amendments that would allow more candidates to run for President and impose term limits on the presidency, the state news agency reported. The committee was given until the first week of March to finish the tasks.
The regime also pledged not to harass those participating in the anti-government protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands at the biggest rallies. The government also agreed not to hamper freedom of press and not to interfere with text messaging and Internet.
Sunday's meeting was the broadest representation of Egypt's fragmented Opposition to meet with the new Vice President since the protests demanding the immediate ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak began on January 25.
The reports also added that both sides have rejected foreign interference in the transition.
The rejection of foreign interference is being seen as an important step within Egypt considering the fact that Washington has been working behind the scenes to broker this transition.
The two sides also agreed at the meeting that the government would open an office that would field complaints about political prisoners, according to the state news agency.
The government also pledged to commission judicial authorities to fight corruption and prosecute those behind it. It agreed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the yet unexplained disappearance of police from Cairo's streets more than a week ago, which unleashed a wave of lawless looting and arson.
Egypt's emergency laws were imposed by Mubarak when he took office in 1981 and they have been in force ever since. The laws give police far-reaching powers for detention and suppression of civil and human rights. Lifting the laws has been a longtime demand by the opposition.
Earlier on Saturday, top leaders of Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party - including Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal Mubarak - had resigned following increasing pressure, both from protesters as well as the West.
The streets of Cairo, meanwhile, saw life limping back to normalcy on Sunday. After days of massive protests, the assembly at the Tahrir Square thinned and the banks and other public institutions opened. The traffic on roads was normal.
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