As the countdown to Tuesday’s rallies continues, the army promises no use of violence against citizens, according to state owned television.

The armed forces were quoted as saying that the deployment of tanks and military personnel is only in the interest of protecting civilians.

This statement comes to reassure hundreds of thousands of protestors, who are expected to take to the streets of Cairo Tuesday afternoon in order to reiterate their demand for the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

For the last three days, thousands of protesters have camped in Tahrir Square in the heart of the capital surrounded by dozens of tanks, military trucks and armed personnel. The army’s statement also came to refute the suspicion voiced by some opposition leaders that the military might attack protestors at tomorrow’s rally.

Egypt has been rocked by exceptionally large protests since last Tuesday. Tens of thousands of Egyptians rallied and marched in several provinces to denounce Mubarak’s rule.

In an attempt to abort the protests, the police had deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition against civilians. By the fourth day of protests, riot policemen were defeated and forced to withdraw. On the same day, the president ordered the military to intervene to preserve public order.