This is the text of the statement Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued Sunday. It was translated from the Arabic by McClatchy special correspondent Miret El Naggar.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is aware that the challenge confronting ourprecious nation is to achieve progress, by unleashing all the creative energy inour great people. That will come through creating an atmosphere of freedom anddemocracy, through constitutional and legislative amendments that achieve thepeople's legitimate demands which they have declared these past days.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces strongly believes that freedom and therule of law, supporting values of equality, democracy. socialjustice and uprooting corruption are the basis of any ruling system in theworld.
In its 5th communique the supreme military council has decided on the following:
1.) suspending the constitution
2.) running the country's affairs for six months or until parliamentary andpresidential elections are held
3.) the head of the supreme council will represent the council locally andabroad
4.) dissolution of both houses of parliament, the upper Shura Council and thePeople's Assembly
5.) the supreme council can issue decrees of laws during the transitional phase.
6.) the formation of a committee to amend clauses of the constitution andsetting regulations to present them to the people in a referendum
7.) tasking the cabinet headed by Ahmed Shafiq to continue its work until a newcabinet is formed
8.) holding parliamentary and presidential elections
9.) the state commits to international treaties of which it is a signatory.