Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Kusuma Habir made the statement here Friday in response to the latest developments in Egypt where political tension has increased over President Hosni Mubarak`s refusal to step down.
"The chief of the task force, Nur Hassan Wirajuda, will return home with the sixth batch of evacuees on Friday at 10.30 west Indonesian time (WIB)," Kusuma said at a press conference.
Kusuma said evacuation of Indonesians from Egypt was still ongoing and around 2,600 out of a total of 6,149 Indonesian citizens in Egypt had so far come home safely. He added the evacuation would still continue depending on the latest situation in Egypt and requests from Indonesian citizens there.
"We will facilitate every Indonesian who wants to leave Egypt. As for those who choose to stay, we will make every effort to ensure their security," Kusuma said, adding that Indonesians living in Egypt were strongly advised to remain in communication with the embassy and avoid crowds.
Earlier on Thursday, Hosni Mubarak said he would transfer his powers to his vice president but not resign.
In an address that failed to meet the demands of protesters for him to step down immediately, Mubarak, 82, appeared to step aside by handing over the reins of power to his deputy, Omar Suleiman, a former intelligence chief trusted by Washington.
Protesters in Tahrir Square, waved their shoes in dismay at the speech, shouting: "Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak" enraged by the fact that the president had not stepped down.
Mubarak repeated that he would not stand for the presidency in a September poll and said talks with the opposition, which would have been unthinkable before Jan. 25 when protests began, had led to preliminary consensus to resolve the crisis.
Egypt was heading to a peaceful transfer of power, said the president, stating that he believed in the honesty of the protesters` demands and intentions but underlining his rejection of foreign powers dictating events in his country.
Mubarak said he felt the pain of those who had lost family in the protests and that he was responding to the nation`s demands with commitment and said those who had died, put at possibly 300 by the United Nations, had not died in vain.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
