Massive tides of protesters flooded Cairo and Egypt's second city Alexandria yesterday for the biggest outpouring of anger yet in their relentless drive to oust President Hosni Mubarak's regime.

Several hundred thousand demonstrators massed in Cairo's Tahrir square protest epicentre for a "march of a million" set for the capital while

similar numbers turned out in Alexandria, AFP reporters said.

As foreign governments scrambled to evacuate their nationals, the opposition said it would not negotiate with Mubarak, with Mohamed ElBaradei, who is emerging as a leader of anti-regime protests said Friday had been set as "departure day" for Mubarak.

"What I have heard (from protesters) is that they want this to end, if

not today (Tuesday), then by Friday maximum," he said.

"I hope President Mubarak goes before this and leaves the country after 30 years of rule... I don't thinkhe wants to see more blood."

A committee of Egyptian opposition groups, which includes ElBaradei and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, pledged there would

injured -- has sent jitters throughout the Middle East.

King Abdullah II of Jordan sacked his government after weeks of demands for change, Yemen's president summoned parliament ahead of a "day of rage" called for Thursday, and a Facebook group of Syrian youth called for a peaceful revolution to start on Friday.

A committee of Egyptian opposition groups, which includes ElBaradei and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, pledged that there would be no negotiations with the regime until Mubarak" leaves."

Men, women and children swarmed Cairo's streets from early morning, joining hundreds who had spent the night in Tahrir Square in tents or sleeping on the grass.

Protester Madiha Shalaby, 38, held aloft a sign in the square calling on the "US to support Egyptians."

Basma Mahmud, 30, said: "We are waiting for them to say he has left, that he is on a plane. This is our dream.”

Chants of "Revolution! Revolution until victory!” rang out amid the festive atmosphere in the square.

Soldiers in tanks encircled the square but they held no fear for the happy crowds.

An army statement to "the great people of Egypt" on Monday said "your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people," stress that "they have not used and will not use force against the Egyptian people."

The army's position drew praise from Washington as Defence Secretary Robert Gates spoke by telephone with his Egyptian counterpart, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, yesterday.

"Thus far the Egyptian military has acted with professionalism and restraint," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.

It was a position echoed by British Prime Minister David Cameron. "In his calls, the prime minister welcomed the restraint the Egyptian army had shown today and emphasised the importance of allowing the protests to take place peacefully,'' his office said.

"The prime minister called for an orderly transition to a broad-based government, including opposi-tion figures."

The US and British governments both kept in touch with opposition leaders as well as the government, as Washington ordered the evacuation of all non-essential staff from Egypt.

US ambassador Margaret Scobey spoke by telephone with ElBaradei, a US official.

"The British ambassador in Cairo, Dominic Asquith, has had a range contacts on the ground today with both government and opposition figures, including Mohammed ElBaradei," a Foreign Office statement said.

The New York Times reported that Frank Wisner, a former US ambassador to Egypt, had been sent to meet Mubarak directly, but that officials would not say whether Wisner would urge him to leave office.

Writing in the same paper, senior US Senator John Kerry said it was time for Mubarak to say clearly he will step down.

"It is not enough for President Mubarak to pledge 'fair' elections, as he did on Saturday," said Kerry, who is chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"The most important step that he can take is to address his nation and declare that neither he nor the son (Gamal) he has been positioning as his successor will run in the presidential election this year."

ElBaradei told Al-Arabiya television that Mubarak should leave by Friday.

"What I have heard (from protesters) is that they want this to end, if not today (Tuesday), then by Friday maximum," he said.

But he called for Mubarak to be spared prosecution. "I'm for a safe exit for President Mubarak," the Nobel peace laureate told US-funded Al-Hurra television.

"We're going to turn the page; we can pardon the past," he said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that, according to unconfirmed reports, a total of300 people had died in the unrest so far, with casualties " mounting on a daily basis."

Foreigners continued to throng Cairo airport for flights out as several governments announced they were sending charter aircraft to assist the exodus.