RI citizens in Iraq set for evacuation
RI citizens in Iraq set for evacuation
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government has cautioned Indonesian citizens in Iraq to
remain alert as a preliminary warning of a possible strike by the
United States and its allies some time in the future.
A similar warning was also given to those living in Jordan,
Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE), countries bordering Iraq.
Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday that all
representative offices in those countries had been preparing for
a quick evacuation if the U.S. and its allies attack Iraq.
"We've calculated that should the worst happen it (the strike)
would be early in February and we have made preparations to
evacuate our citizens quickly," Hassan said.
Speaking to journalists after a limited Cabinet meeting on the
Iraqi issue presided over by President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
Hassan said that Indonesia had to weigh all possibilities should
war break out.
"The United Nations weapons inspection team will report its
findings on Jan. 27, and if it confirms that Iraq possesses
weapons of mass destruction the war would be inevitable," he
said.
According to him, it will be easy to evacuate Indonesian
citizens because there are only a few dozen Indonesians in Iraq.
The world has been keeping an eye on day-to-day developments
in Iraq in line with the UN team's ongoing inspection of Iraq's
weapons.
Hassan said that Iraq would face UN sanctions that would be
followed by a U.S.-led strike if the UN inspection team found
chemical or biological weapons.
"Indonesia will have more problems if the dangers triggered by
the U.S.-led strike spread to neighboring countries because of
the concentration of Indonesian citizens in those countries," he
said, noting that thousands of Indonesians work in Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates.
Indonesia should also take necessary measures to make
adjustments to the state budget because any strike on Iraq would
influence global oil prices and Indonesia imports crude oil from
Middle Eastern countries.