Kuwait Urges Citizens to Leave Egypt Immediately

The Gulf state of Kuwait on Wednesday urged its citizens in Egypt to leave "at the earliest" and warned against travel to the country after President Mohammed Morsi rejected an ultimatum by the army, amid mass protests and deadly clashes.

"All Kuwaitis present in Egypt must leave at the earliest due to the developments and events in various parts of the country," the official KUNA news agency cited ambassador Rasheed al-Hamad as saying.

He also called on Kuwaitis to delay trips to Egypt due to the "unstable situation.”

Kuwait becomes the first Arab country to issue a travel warning to Egypt, where supporters and opponents of embattled Morsi clashed during the night in the capital Cairo, leaving more than 20 people dead.

Thousands of Kuwaiti students are studying at Egyptian universities while tens of thousands of Kuwaiti tourists normally visit Egypt every year.

Britain on Tuesday warned its nationals against all but essential travel to most of Egypt.

In a statement it advised against travel to Egypt apart from a few holiday resorts.

While it did not recommend immediate departure for any Britons already in the country it said they should consider "whether they have a pressing need to remain."

They were advised against getting caught up in crowds.