Thousands of people rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday calling for unity and the rule of law to be enforced after attacks on churches, state television reported.

Footage aired from the iconic square, the epicenter of protests that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February, showed thousands of protesters waving flags and banners in support of national unity.

Egyptian media on Monday accused "anti-revolutionaries" of trying to trigger sectarian conflict, as a top cleric warned the country could be engulfed in civil war.

The government has vowed to use an "iron fist" to ensure national security after Saturday's deadly clashes in Cairo, branded by Nobel peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei as "religious extremism of the Middle Ages."

Egypt's military rulers warned Sunday they will use an "iron hand" to protect national security after clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo killed 12 people and injured scores.

Authorities would "strike with an iron hand all those who seek to tamper with the nation's security," Justice Minister Abdul Aziz al-Gindi told reporters after cabinet crisis talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has discussed "bilateral ties" and the Palestinian issue with his Egyptian counterpart, Iran's English-language Press TV reported on Tuesday.

Salehi and Nabil al-Arabi discussed "latest developments in bilateral ties" during a telephone conversation on Monday night, in the first direct contact following a thaw in Tehran-Cairo relations, the channel said on its website.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday called on the United States to recognize a Palestinian state, as rival Palestinian factions prepare to sign a reconciliation accord in Cairo.

Arabi urged visiting U.S. Congressman Steve Chabot to "press Congress and the American administration to recognize a Palestinian state."

Egypt's military rulers warned on Sunday of strong measures against anyone inciting sectarian strife, in a bid to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power after president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February, said it was "exerting all efforts to end sectarian disagreements on the Egyptian street to protect this nation."

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's best organized movement, on Saturday announced the formation of a party to contest up to half of parliament's seats in a September election.

Mohammed Hussein, the group's secretary general, said at a news conference that the movement's consultative council decided at a meeting to adopt a decision to form the new Freedom and Justice Party.

Arab cinema powerhouse Egypt, which in January rose up in revolt to topple president Hosni Mubarak, will become the Cannes Film Festival's first guest country at this year's event.

Festival organizers said on Thursday that they hoped to make the invitation of a guest country a tradition for future events after the 64th edition of the festival opens on May 11.

Israel is "very concerned" about the implications of Egypt's plans to permanently reopen its border with Gaza, a senior official said Friday, warning it could impact on Israel's security, Agence France Presse reported.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi told Al-Jazeera that the crossing would be permanently opened in coming days as part of Cairo's plans to ease the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Mexico's antiquities authority said Wednesday it had returned a 4,000-year-old statue to Egypt five years after it was first detected by customs agents.

The National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) said the "invaluable" 15-centimeter (six-inch) statuette was carved in southern Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, which ruled the Nile from 2055 BC to 1650 BC.