Egypt's ruling military has apologised for the deaths of protesters in clashes with police, as unrest in Cairo and other cities enters its sixth day.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) said it regretted "the deaths of martyrs from among Egypt's loyal sons".The unrest, which began on Friday, comes days before the first elections since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. At least 35 people have died.
Protesters have rejected a pledge to speed up transition to civilian rule.
They have vowed to continue their protest until the country's military rulers stand down.
'Regret'
The military council issued its apology in a statement, in which it vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the death of protesters.Late on Wednesday, two members of the council appeared on state TV to offer "condolences to the entire Egyptian people".
One of them, Maj Gen Muhammad al-Assar, extended "the regret and apology of the entire armed forces on the tragedy that occurred".
He added: "Our hearts bled for what happened. We hope that this crisis will end and God willing, it will not be repeated again."
The generals urged Egyptians not to compare them to the former regime of Mr Mubarak, insisting they were not seeking to cling to power.
On Thursday, the military council reaffirmed that parliamentary elections would start as scheduled on Monday. There had been speculation that they might be delayed.
Defiance
The CA's Jeremy Bowen in Cairo says public opinion is divided on the vote. Some Egyptians want it to go ahead unhindered, while others believe the military must be swept from power first.The main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is not supporting the protests and expects to do well in the elections.
On Wednesday, street battles continued late into the night, and were heaviest around the fortified interior ministry off Tahrir Square in Cairo.
The clashes were followed by a truce, which appears to be holding. But the protesters have vowed to continue occupying the square until their demands are met.
"He goes, we won't," one banner read in a reference to the head of the military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
The clashes are the longest outbreak of violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled Mr Mubarak in February.
Rising casualties
On Wednesday, UN Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned the "clearly excessive use of force" by Egypt's security forces during the clashes.She called for an independent inquiry into deaths.
Groups of stone-throwing demonstrators have battled riot police in the streets between Tahrir Square and the interior ministry since the weekend.
Protesters have spoken of gunshots and injuries or deaths from live bullets, but Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy said security forces were only firing tear gas.
The protests have continued despite an attempt by Field Marshal Tantawi to defuse the situation by promising presidential elections by the end of June, six months sooner than planned.
He also accepted the resignation of the civilian cabinet appointed by the military. But in his address on Tuesday, Field Marshal Tantawi offered no apologies for the violence.
Meanwhile ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut Egypt's sovereign credit rating to B+, with a negative outlook. S&P said the cut reflected Egypt's "weak political and economic profile".
