Egypt's vice-president has said protesters calling for the departure of Hosni Mubarak, the president, are not "part of the Egyptian culture", saying "we all respect Mubarak as father and leader".
Omar Suleiman made the comments during an interview with state television on Thursday, in which he also said recent violence in Cairo, the capital, could have been the result of a "conspiracy".
"We will look into [the violence], into the fact it was a conspiracy," he said.
At least 13 people have been killed in clashes in Tahrir (Liberation) Square, central Cairo, as violence continues between pro-government groups and pro-democracy protesters.
Suleiman called on the protesters to end their 10-day demonstration, saying the government had now met their demands for reform, adding that the call for Mubarak to step down would be a "call for chaos".
"End your sit-in. Your demands have been answered," said Omar Suleiman.
'Crime of war'
He said constitutional change would take at least 70 days, and that a parliament was needed in order to look at it.
"The January 25 movement wanted to dissolve the parliament but we can't do that if we are going to amend the constitution," he said.
"We have to look into the future of Egypt, who will run this country, who will lead Egypt in the next six years, who will represent the country?"
But a pro-democracy activist dismissed Suleiman's speech, saying it was all a "ridiculous lie".
"From the beginning we were saying we want the whole regime to be out," she told Al Jazeera.
"There are thugs and bullies preventing us from getting medical and food supplies. It's outrageous. We are not interested in anything they say unless it is that they are leaving now.
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