Yudhoyono Congratulates Elected President of Egypt

Cairo - Indonesian Head of State Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has spoken on the telephone to congratulate Mohamed Moursi on his being elected the new president of Egypt, Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Nurfaizi Suwandi said. "President Yudhoyono called Mohamed Moursi on Thursday evening to convey his congratulations and to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," Nurfaizi said. He explained that President Yudhoyono focused special attention on Egypt, especially after a peaceful presidential election in the country. According to Nurfaizi, President Yudhoyono was among world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and UN leader Ban Ki-moon, to congratulate the new Egyptian president. The UN leader was quoted by AFP as saying that the election of Egypt's president was just one stage in the country's move toward democracy and that new leader Mohamed Morsi must build independent institutions. (*)