Egypt

The military’s statement was the clearest elaboration yet of its plans for Egypt, as the country’s opposition forces, from the Muslim Brotherhood to labor unions, seek to build on the momentum of the protests and create a democratic system with few parallels in the Arab world. The moves to suspend the constitution and to dissolve parliament, chosen in an election deemed a sham even by Mr. Mubarak’s standards, were expected. The statement declared that the supreme command would issue laws in the transitional period before elections and that Egypt’s defense minister, Field Marshal Tantawi Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, would represent the country at home and abroad, in a sign that the 75-year-old loyalist of Mr. Mubarak had emerged to the forefront. Protesters — and some classified American diplomatic cables — have dismissed him as a “poodle” of Mr. Mubarak’s. But some senior American officers say he is a shrewd operator who played a significant role in managing Mr. Mubarak’s nonviolent ouster.

The military’s communiqué was welcomed by opposition leaders as offering a specific timetable for transition to civil rule. Ayman Nour, a longtime opponent of Mr. Mubarak, called it a victory for the revolution, while youthful leaders, some of whom met in downtown Cairo on Sunday night to chart a path forward in negotiations with the military, described it as a concrete step.

“The statement is fine,” said Ahmed Maher, a leading organizers. “We still need more details but it was more comforting that what we heard before.” Another organizer, Ahmed Zidan, said it met “90 percent of the demands” of the demonstrators.