Egypt’s interim military rulers are committed to transforming the Arab world’s most populous nation into a democracy, Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi said in a televised address on Saturday. Tantawi, heading the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that was handed power when Hosni Mubarak was forced to leave office in February, has come under increasing pressure by protesters who say the army is dragging its feet on reforms. Egyptian youth protesters vowed to remain in Cairo’s Tahrir Square until their demands are met, after violence broke out in Egyptian cities between military police and protesters. Protesters now on their 15th day of demonstrations have been camped in Tahrir and other squares across the country to back demands for more freedom for the civilian government, led by Essam Sharaf, an end to military trials and a time frame for the completion of the demands for reform.
