“The Arab Republic of Egypt is committed to all regional and international obligations and treaties,” the military officer said.

The BBC’s Wyre Davis in Cairo says the statement should allay the concerns of the United States and Israel, where politicians are anxious that a change in leadership could jeopardise the 1979 Camp David accords.

The military also said it had asked the current government to stay on until a new one was formed, which would “pave the way for an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state”.