Egypt's Interior Ministry tries to create 'good relations' with public

As Egypt marks a public holiday Tuesday to commemorate Prophet Mohammed's birthday, the country's Interior Ministry is trying to connect with the public through Facebook -- a social networking site some credit with helping topple a regime of almost 30 years.

The ministry created a Facebook page in attempt to bring back "good relations with the public and improve the image of Egyptian police," according to a statement carried by state media.

The police force's role in supporting the regime of President Hosni Mubarak has left the police widely unpopular.

On Monday, thousands of state workers from various ministries demonstrated for better pay and better working conditions around the country, witnesses told CNN. The demonstrations followed weeks of protests that led to Friday's resignation of Mubarak, who had ruled the country with an iron fist since 1981.

The country is now run by the military. Mubarak's abdication leaves a council of generals, led by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, in charge of the Arab world's most populous nation. Since Friday, the military has dissolved parliament, suspended the constitution and vowed to remain in charge until elections can be held in six months or so.

In a statement Monday from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, efforts are on track to "realize the legitimate demands of the people for a true democratic environment."

Meanwhile, the post-Mubarak transitional government has asked the United States to freeze the financial assets of some Egyptian officials, according to a senior official in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration. The official, who was not authorized to comment on the record, spoke to CNN Monday on the condition of anonymity.

The identities of the Egyptian officials were not disclosed.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said it would appoint a committee to propose changes to the constitution, which would then be submitted to voters. The council will have the power to issue new laws during the transition, according to a communique read on state television.

It cited "negative consequences" of continued unrest, including harming national security, adversely affecting the state's ability to get necessary goods to the public, disrupting production and operations, delaying the nation's return to "day-to-day life," adversely affecting the economy and "creating an atmosphere that gives the opportunity to irresponsible persons to commit illegitimate acts."

The military now finds itself confronting the economic problems that fueled the revolt, including massive youth unemployment and economic underdevelopment.

The unrest has nearly emptied tourist hotels. In the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Mubarak is reportedly holed up at a villa, "We are losing daily something like $20 (million) to $30 million -- at least in this area," said Adel Shoukry, secretary general of the Egyptian Hotel Association.

In London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the House of Commons he had encouraged the Egyptian government "to make further moves to accommodate the views of opposition figures." He said he was heartened to hear Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq say that members of the opposition should be included in a reshuffled Cabinet during the next week.

Hague called for the release of all those detained during the 18 days of demonstrations that preceded Mubarak's resignation and said he wants "a clear timetable for fair and parliamentary elections." He added that he welcomes the military council's commitment to "all regional and international obligations and treaties."

Monday's admonition from the military came as mourners gathered at a marble memorial in Cairo's Tahrir Square to honor the victims of clashes. Some people placed flowers next to pictures of some of the more than 300 people estimated to have died during the 18 days of conflict that led to the ouster of the 82-year-old president.

A spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch called the estimate "conservative." Heba Morayef said it was based on the group's visits to just eight hospitals -- five in Cairo, two in Alexandria and one in Suez. "We were not able to access many other hospitals," she said.

Morayef expressed concern about the military, too. "It's unclear to what extent there are any limits on the power of the military, and that, obviously, is something that causes the human rights community some concern," she said.

But most Egyptians seem ready to give the military a chance to guide the country from dictatorship to democracy.

"Until they do something that's really huge and negative, I'm going to trust them, because we need that trust now," said television talk-show host and journalist Yosri Foda. "The genie is out of the bottle. Egyptians have now managed to rediscover themselves. I'm so proud of this part of the story. Yes, it will always be tempting for an army man to stick to power. But they, too, probably realize now this is not a good idea."

The direction of the military was just one of many uncertainties that remain.

The status of Mubarak, who is reportedly staying in Sharm el-Sheikh, is a mystery. Some Egyptians are demanding he stand trial for crimes, including the demonstrators' deaths. Others are demanding an immediate repeal of Egypt's nearly 30-year-old emergency law, which allows the government to arrest people without charge, and the formation of a civilian body to oversee the transition to a new government.

A group of police officers joined demonstrators Monday, a sharp contrast to the clashes between police and protesters during the early days of the uprising.

"We didn't want to attack the protesters, but they (our superiors) told us if we didn't, they would put us in jail," one of the officers, Yousef Abdullah, said Monday.

Events in Egypt have been watched closely throughout the region, where more cases of unrest are unfolding.

Iranian lawmakers denounced Monday's protests in Tehran and called for the execution of two opposition leaders for inciting the demonstrations, Iran's state-run Press TV reported Tuesday.

Iranian leaders have praised the revolution in Egypt, but the government cracked down when Iranian protesters took to the streets.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the "hypocrisy of the Iranian regime" on Monday.

"We wish the opposition and the brave people in the streets across cities in Iran the same opportunity that they saw their Egyptian counterparts seize in the last week," she said.

A second man died from clashes in Bahrain, the country's Interior Ministry said, as the man participated in the Tuesday funeral procession of a protester killed during clashes in the country.

And for the third day in a row, clashes broke out Tuesday between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in Yemen's capital of Sanaa. About 200 anti-government protesters rallied outside Sanaa University calling for regime change.

And on Monday, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci told French radio network Europe1 that the country's state of emergency -- in place for almost two decades -- will be lifted in the "coming days."

The announcement came two days after anti-government protesters in Algeria chanted, "Change the power!" Security forces clashed with the crowds Saturday in Algiers and detained roughly 100 protesters, according to the opposition Algerian League for Human Rights.

CNN's Amir Ahmed, Ben Wedeman, Fionnuala Sweeney, Nic Robertson, Arwa Damon, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ivan Watson, Joe Duran, Frederik Pleitgen, Raja Razek and Mohammed Jamjoom and journalist Ian Lee contributed to this report.