British warship to evacuate Aussies

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
July 18 2006

Some Australians will be able to escape Lebanon on a British warship
after the United Kingdom agreed to allow them to board its aircraft
carrier being dispatched to the Middle East.

The federal government is continuing round-the-clock efforts to
get thousands of Australians out of war-torn Lebanon, but is facing
increasing criticism from people stranded in Beirut and other parts
of the country.

Australia’s efforts have been unfavourably compared with those of
other nations like the United States, Britain, Italy and France.

Eighty-six Australians, including members of a Sydney dance troupe,
were evacuated to Syria on three buses last night.

The government is planning to repeat the operation today with four
buses that could carry about 90 people, and also is trying to charter
a ferry to evacuate up to 600 people to Cyprus.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also confirmed the government was
seeking the help of the British to get some Australians out.

"(Britain) has agreed to take Australians on that ship, which is
very generous of them. We’ve negotiated that arrangement with them,"
he told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

Mr Downer suggested it was unfair to complain Australia was not
doing as much as a country like Britain, which had the world’s third
biggest navy.

"The ship isn’t there despite the fact they have the world’s third
biggest navy and they have ships in the Mediterranean but they still
do not have a ship in Lebanon," he said.

"People can be critical (of Australian efforts) but the British
haven’t got their ship in and they, obviously, have many logistical
advantages over us."

Prime Minister John Howard urged stranded Australians to be patient
while the government negotiated with Israel to secure a safe path out.

"I do ask people to understand that as we speak attempts are being
made in different ways to arrange for people to be extracted," Mr
Howard told ABC radio.

"It’s better not to give too many details of those arrangements. I
hope people understand that.

"We fully appreciate the concern of Australians who have loved ones
in Lebanon and we are doing everything we humanly can."

Meanwhile, the government was unable to confirm a report Australians
have been killed in Lebanon, Mr Downer said.

An Australian man who fled the bloodshed, who gave his name only as
Michael, told the ABC last night he believed Australians had died in
clashes near the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun.

"I believe there are Australians as well who passed away. I don’t
know who they are but it’s a very tense situation, very dangerous,"
Michael said.

But Mr Downer said today the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
had been unable to substantiate those reports.

"I can’t confirm that at all, we have no information on that," he
told the Nine Network.

Some Australians have managed to flee war-torn Lebanon but hundreds
more remain trapped as Israel steps up its military attack on Hizbollah
guerrillas.

More than 600 Australians could be evacuated by ferry to Cyprus
tomorrow, Mr Downer said.

"Security permitting, we’ll continue with the bus evacuations during
the course of today, and then we hope to have a ship tomorrow,"
Mr Downer said.

"Of course, we’ve got to persuade the ship charter company that it
would be safe for its ship to go into a Lebanese port and start to
evacuate people from that port, because … ports have been very much
targeted by the Israelis."

Mr Downer said he did not know how many Australians wanted to leave
Lebanon, as up to 25,000 had dual citizenship and had been living
there permanently.

But he expected many of the 4,600 registered with the Australian
embassy would want to be brought home.

Mr Downer said he was "very sympathetic" to the plight of Australians
stranded in Lebanon, but urged them to be patient.

"This is a war zone and you cannot expect miracles in a war zone,"
he said. "The war will not just suddenly stop and allow Australians
to leave – you can’t do that.

"It will continue, I’m sure, for quite some time, unfortunately,
and people just have to be … calm.

"It’s a frightening experience for them but there isn’t any alternative
in getting excited and shouting and dishing out abuse to people."

Parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs Teresa Gambaro said the
first group of evacuees, which included young members of a Armenian
dance troupe, had arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman.

"I can confirm that they have arrived safely in Jordan, that is the
latest advice that I have and we’re very relieved," she told ABC radio.

"They make up an Armenian Dance Group of 69 members and nine aid
workers … but we are working to make further arrangements for
further evacuations at the moment."

Ms Gambaro said currently 6,291 people had registered with the
Australian Embassy and that it was likely the majority of that number
would want to leave.

"Our priority is to make sure we get out the elderly, the sick,
families, children and then we will evacuate others after that,"
she said.