NZ officials helping Kiwis leave Egypt - Key
Diplomats in Cairo are doing all they can to help New Zealanders leave Egypt, Prime Minister John Key said today.
Diplomats in Cairo are doing all they can to help New Zealanders leave Egypt, Prime Minister John Key said today.
"We are urging New Zealanders who are in Egypt to leave and we are providing whatever support we possibly can," he told reporters.
"We will continue to have MFAT (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) work on that and obviously we have told every other New Zealander not to travel to Egypt.
"There's a serious travel warning now and we really don't think people should go."
Mr Key said the Government was working on the cases of people who had been bumped off flights and was talking to commercial airlines.
There was no consideration of using the Royal New Zealand Air Force at this point.
"There hasn't been a request for that but obviously we will continue to monitor the situation," he said.
"And clearly, our close friends and allies are there in the region, the UK and the United States, and if necessary we will pick up the phone and try and get New Zealanders up the queue."
Mr Key said the Government always made sure it was in a position to respond if it needed to.
"The (Air Force) 757s are both in action so it is not impossible to react if we need to."
Mr Key said it was difficult for New Zealand diplomatic staff in Egypt.
"They haven't been able to work out of their offices so they are actually working from the ambassador's residence," he said.
Mr Key said he didn't know when the embassy itself would be able to be used again.
"Ironically our current ambassador is on his final week in Egypt and the new ambassador is really effectively on the job," he said.
"So we have got two ambassadors there, just nowhere for them to work."
Mr Key said Egypt was clearly facing a very difficult situation.
"In the end, the fate and the future of Egypt is in the hands of the Egyptians," he said.
"If there is to be a transition we, like other countries, would hope that to be a smooth one and that process hopefully will allow our exporters to get back selling goods into that market."
He said while Egypt wasn't New Zealand's largest market it was nevertheless an important one, particularly for Fonterra.
NZPA
Mon, 31 Jan 2011
Mon, 31 Jan 2011
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NZ officials helping Kiwis leave Egypt - Key
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