REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marty Natalegawa said on Friday that Indonesia was trying to find solutions to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and northern Africa.
He cited that regarding to crisis in Egypt, the Indonesian government had been trying to communicate with the Egyptian government to come up with solutions to their domestic problems.
Natalegawa confirmed that no Indonesian has become a victim in the latest violence in Egypt. He also reiterated that Indonesians living in Egypt must stay away from areas prone to conflicts and avoid getting entangled in the ongoing conflict.
In a state of the nation address on Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the use of military force to disperse demonstrators in Egypt was against democratic and humanitarian values.
"I appeal to conflicting parties to exercise self-restraint," said Yudhoyono.
The president hopes that conflicting parties in Egypt will start the national reconciliation process to end the political crisis immediately. He is optimistic that compromise will help Egypt to find solution despite the complex situation in the country.
"Indonesia is deeply concerned about what is happening in Egypt," he said.
Meanwhile in Indonesia thousands of protesters took to the streets after Friday prayer, calling for the bloodshed in Egypt to end. The rallies took place in several cities accros Indonesia including Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Yogyakarta, and Mataram.
On the same day chairman of Indonesian Ulamas Council (MUI) Slamet Effendy has called on the government to recall its Ambassador to Egypt, Nurfaizi Suwandi, as a form of protest for the violence against demonstrators in that country.
"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s statements will hold more meaning if Indonesian government withdraws its ambassador from Cairo," Effendy said, when contacted on Friday.
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