CANBERRA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government on Wednesday lowered travel warnings for several Middle Eastern countries, including Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after the United States and Iran reached a peace deal.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said that the government has lowered travel advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE from the highest level four "do not travel" to a level three "reconsider your need to travel" warning, with some areas of Israel remaining at level four.
She said that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has assessed current conditions in those countries as appropriate for the lower-level warning, but said that Australians should continue to postpone non-essential travel.
"If you need to transit these locations, stay as short a time as possible and eliminate unnecessary activities," Wong said in a joint statement with Matt Thistlethwaite, assistant minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen remain under level four "do not travel" warnings for Australians, while Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia are also subject to level three warnings. ■