Ex-Egyptian spy chief Suleiman says he 'won't reinvent Mubarak regime'

Cairo - Former Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman has said that he would not attempt to 'reinvent' the old regime of Hosni Mubarak if he is elected president of the country.

Suleiman, Mubarak's former vice president, had earlier denied that he would be running for office, but last week made a surprise announcement that he had been "persuaded by public demand" and would run if he could obtain the necessary registration of 30,000 supporters.

"I have been shaken by your strong position. The call you have directed is an order and I am a soldier who has never disobeyed an order," Suleiman said in a statement.

On Monday, Suleiman tried to appease his critics and insisted he had distanced himself from the old regime, The Telegraph reports.

He stated that the uprising that toppled Mubarak nearly 14 months ago has created a "new reality that cannot be reversed".

Egypt's power political wing, the Muslim Brotherhood, has warned that Suleiman's bid for the presidency could bring about renewed turmoil.

The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for May elections, Khairat El-Shater, said Suleiman's candidacy was an attempt "to steal the revolution" and warned it could set off another round of huge street protests.