Egypt presidential hopeful: Peace treaty with Israel is over

A leader of Egypt's secular opposition declared Sunday that the country's 30-year peace treaty with Israel was "over", despite assurances by the new military rulers that it would honor the accord in the wake of President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

"The Camp David accord is over," Dr. Ayman Nur, leader of the Tomorrow Party who is planning to seek candidacy in the Egyptian presidential elections, told Egyptian radio. His remarks were carried by Israel's Channel 2.

"Egypt must at least renegotiate the terms of the accord," said Nur, who spent years incarcerated in Egyptian prison and was released with the help of U.S. intervention.

Nur is not a member of the radical Muslim Brotherhood, but rather a secular liberal. His remarks contradicted the military's statement on Saturday reassuring its international allies that there would be no break in its peace deal with Israel

The military statement, aired on state TV, was a first and cautious attempt to define the next steps after Mubarak handed over power to a council of his top generals and resigned on Friday in the face of an 18-day wave of popular protests.

Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, voiced confidence in the military's intention on Sunday when he told ABC that he did "not think the relationship between Israel and Egypt is under any risk or that there is any kind of operational risk awaiting us."

Mahmoud A-Zahar, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip has meanwhile urged Cairo to amend its treaty with Israel in order to ensure redeployment of Egyptian troops throughout the Sinai Peninsula.