Australia urges calm in Egypt, warns on travel
The foreign office upgraded its travel warning from "reconsider your need to travel" to "do not travel", counseling Australians against journeying to Egypt and advising those currently in the troubled country to get out if possible.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said there were 870 Australians registered in Egypt but the real number was "likely to be in the thousands" and told anyone who could safely exit to strongly consider doing so, condemning the violence from both sides.
"The Australian government certainly understands the desire of the people of Egypt for reform, for democracy, we understand that," the prime minister said.
"But we are monitoring the situation closely and calling on everybody to exercise calm and restraint, to make sure that the security forces are being restrained, and also to make sure that demonstrations are peaceful."
The new travel warning urged Australians "not to travel to Egypt due to ongoing civil unrest" and said anyone there concerned about the security situation "should leave if it is safe to do so".
Egypt is among just 12 countries for which Australia has issued a travel ban. The others include Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and the African hotspots of Sudan, Guinea, Niger and Cote d'Ivoire.
Australia said the situation "remains unpredictable and may deteriorate quickly" and urged travellers to avoid all demonstrations "as they may turn violent".
"The army is on the streets of the main towns and there are widespread reports of arson and looting. The civil police are not present to maintain law and order," the foreign office said.
It urged travellers to respect a 4:00 pm to 8:00 am curfew and to follow the advice of local authorities.
President Hosni Mubarak appointed Egypt's military intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president and named a new premier after tens of thousands poured into central Cairo on Saturday demanding that he step down.
Protesters want not only Mubarak's departure but an end to endemic corruption and police brutality.