CAIRO: The US Department of State is authorizing voluntary departure of dependents – spouses and children – and non-emergency employees from Egypt, Elizabeth Colton, press attaché, public affairs section at the US embassy in Egypt, told Daily News Egypt. The US embassy will also offer be offering assistance to other American citizens who wish to depart, Colton said. On Sunday, the embassy issued a statement recommending that Americans avoid traveling to Egypt due to the current political and social unrest. Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Patrick Deboeck says it is advising that all travel to Egypt be avoided, replacing a previous advisory that had counseled against unnecessary travel there, according to The Associated Press. He added that European ambassadors in Cairo assessed "the state of play" at a meeting on Sunday and EU nations are not planning evacuations. He says so far there have been no incidents involving EU citizens in Egypt. The Iraqi government also said it will evacuate its citizens living in Egypt for free. Transportation Ministry spokesman Aqeel Hadi Kawthar told The Associated Press that "we will send whatever planes needed to those who want to leave Egypt." He said the number of flights will depend on demand. Moreover, the South Korean Embassy in Egypt is also telling South Koreans to leave the country. An embassy official said by phone that embassy officials began calling South Koreans in Egypt on Sunday to advise them to return home or move to another country. The official said about 1,000 South Koreans live in Egypt but didn't know how many have already left. –AP and Daily News Egypt
