Egypt's most influential opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, says it will enter talks with officials on ending the country's political crisis. The group told Reuters the talks would begin on Sunday and would aim to assess how far the government was "ready to accept the demands of the people".
The Brotherhood had earlier said it would not take part in the negotiations with Vice-President Omar Suleiman.
President Hosni Mubarak has rejected protesters' demands that he quit now.
He has said he will not seek re-election in elections in September, but huge crowds have been on the streets of Cairo and other cities in the past few weeks to demand his resignation.
"We have decided to engage in a round of dialogue to ascertain the seriousness of officials towards the demands of the people and their willingness to respond to them," a spokesman for the Brotherhood told Reuters news agency.
The Islamist group is Egypt's most influential and well-organised opposition but it remains officially banned.
Mr Mubarak has blamed it for the unrest and said that if he leaves, the group will exploit the ensuing political chaos.
The Muslim Brotherhood denies accusation that it is seeking to create an Islamist state in Egypt.
Resignations
Opposition demonstrators are continuing to occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square as the protests enter their 13th day, although the numbers have fallen from Friday's huge rally.
The military has been attempting to re-open the square to the public in an attempt to restore normality, and to confine the protests to a small area.
But on Friday evening, hundreds of people attempted to prevent the army from entering the square - some lay on the ground in front of the tanks to block their progress.
The US - a key ally of the Mubarak government - has called for a swift transition of power, although it has not explicitly told Mr Mubarak to leave.
The entire leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) resigned en masse on Friday, apparently in response to the protests.
Two of Mr Mubarak's allies, including his son Gamal, lost their posts while Hossam Badrawi was appointed secretary general.
