Cyprus ready for Lebanon evacuees

By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Limassol

The campaign to rescue foreign nationals from the violence in Lebanon is now moving into top gear.

European governments have been racing to bring citizens home

The first British ship, with some 180 nationals on board, set sail from Beirut late on Tuesday evening.

The Israeli air force lifted the blockade on the Lebanese port temporarily to allow HMS Gloucester to dock.

The first "priority cases" have now arrived at the port of Limassol in Cyprus.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Nicosia said the priority was "to get the evacuees to the UK as quickly as possible".

The British Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri has some temporary shelter and tents.

"But we don't want hundreds of people here overnight," said the spokesman. "There simply aren't the facilities or the accommodation available."

'Tight window'

The British authorities in Cyprus have been joined by a team skilled in evacuation operations.

They are working to ensure the passage out of the country is as smooth as possible.

"It is a long crossing by ship and many of these people are desperate to get home and see their loved ones," said the spokesman.

"Some of them will be traumatised by their experience, that is natural.

"We are working as quickly as we can to book chartered flights out of Cyprus, and we hope those arriving Wednesday will be back in the UK by the end of the day."

Six British warships are now in the region to help with the operation.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said 5,000 Britons would be brought out of Lebanon by the end of the week.

'Absolute safety'

The British are working closely with their European partners, particularly the French and the Italians, who have both charted commercial ferries to evacuate their nationals.

"We know from the French experience that time is of the essence during these operations," said the spokesman.

Commercial ferries have been bringing evacuees to Cyprus

"The French carried 1,000 people out of Lebanon yesterday but they were forced to leave 400 behind.

"There wasn't the time to board everybody. It is a tight window that the Israeli air force guarantee... and the captain of the ferry was worried his luck might run out," the spokesman said.

British officials have rejected criticism they have acted too slowly.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Cyprus said they had put sufficient plans in place "to ensure the absolute safety of everyone who wanted to leave".

The US, which has been slower than other countries to announce evacuation plans, ordered five warships and 2,200 marines to waters off Lebanon on Tuesday, to assist in operations.

The ships, which were in the Red Sea on exercises, were expected to be in position later this week, the US Navy said.

'Total silence'

Separately, a US-chartered Greek cruise ship was to start taking out US citizens from Beirut under protection of the USS Gonzalez, a guided missile cruiser.

The US and EU countries are all being allowed to make use of British bases in Cyprus.

The US state department estimates some 25,000 US nationals in Lebanon; France says it has 20,000 and Britain 22,000.

Many of these have dual nationality, and it is not clear how many want to leave.

Scores of other countries reported numbers of citizens ranging from a few dozen to several hundred who have managed to flee by road to Syria and travel on by plane.

Evacuees who disembarked in Larnaca expressed relief at leaving behind the fear and destruction, as well as anger at the way Lebanon is again being torn apart.

"I am sad to be going back to France," said Zeina, 40, who was on holiday with her family. "But I was so frightened by the first bombs. It's such a relief to be here."

A Russian woman who escaped by road told Russian television: "We went on bombed roads. The most frightening was not the shooting but the total silence. There was no one, not even a dog on the roads."

Beirut taxi drivers are said to be charging $500 (400 euros) a person to take evacuees to Damascus, 125 km (75 miles) away.