Evacuations begin in Egypt; world leaders unite in calls for reforms
Associated Press
TOKYO
The United States and other countries sent planes today to evacuate their citizens from the unrest in Egypt as world leaders called on President Hosni Mubarak to implement reforms and seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Heads of state from Europe urged the Egyptian government to implement democratic reforms and avoid further violence against protesters. Asian powers China, India and Japan said they were closely watching developments and hoping for a peaceful resolution, while preparing flights to get their citizens out of harm’s way.
The protests in Egypt were to top the agenda of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers today in Brussels. The EU has traditionally had particularly close relations with Egypt as part of its partnerships with countries on the eastern and southern rims of the Mediterranean.
With the situation still fluid, leaders were cautious about their public statements.
But the initial reaction in Europe and elsewhere stressed the right of Egyptians to assemble and supported calls for reform.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Mubarak in a phone call on Sunday that she expects him and his newly nominated government to grant freedom of information and the right to assemble, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
The State Department is prepared to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens from Egypt on chartered planes, but is relying largely on friends and families in the U.S. to relay that information to stranded Americans.
Assistant Secretary of State Janice Jacobs told reporters Sunday that she expects it will take several flights over the coming days to handle the number of Americans who want to leave Egypt.