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.