Hundreds more Australians to evacuate Lebanon
ABC Online, Australia
July 19 2006
AM – Wednesday, 19 July , 2006 08:00:00
Reporter: Karen Barlow
TONY EASTLEY: The evacuation of foreign nationals out of strife-torn
Lebanon is in full swing, but there are grave fears for Australians
trapped in the south of the country.
Two bus convoys loaded with Australians have now successfully escaped
by road, and another 400 Australians are expected to leave Beirut
today on chartered ferries.
American, French and Canadian nationals are among the thousands of
others all leaving in one of the biggest seaborne evacuation operations
since World War II.
Karen Barlow reports.
KAREN BARLOW: George Atamian is now in the Jordanian capital Amman
after escaping Lebanon on a bus with the Sydney Armenian Dance Troupe.
GEORGE ATAMIAN: It honestly feels pretty good. It feels good in a way
that you know we’re free and we’re safer out here, but at the same
time, I sort of feel pretty bad, ’cause I’ve got a lot of friends
there that I’ve sort of met and some family up there as well and yeah,
I just feel really bad for them, what they have to go through.
KAREN BARLOW: Just over a week ago, the Melburnian was in Germany
enjoying the World Cup finals.
He decided on a whim to travel to Lebanon to visit family and friends;
then the bombardment began.
GEORGE ATAMIAN: That was some scary moments. We actually felt, yeah,
that they were pretty close.
KAREN BARLOW: George Atamian knew members of the Dance Troupe and
decided to stay with them when they bunkered down in their Beirut
hotel.
GEORGE ATAMIAN: The mood around the hotel wasn’t too bad. We sort of
had some hope that the Government would sort of do something and help
us out there and yeah, so I guess fortunate enough to be out now.
GEORGE ATAMIAN: Thousands of other Australians are needing help to
get out of the conflict zone.
More than 7,000 citizens are now registered with the Australia embassy
in Beirut.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, says the Government
is working as hard as it can.
ALEXANDER DOWNER: Look, we one way or another will, I think, be able to
get all the people who want to get out fairly soon, with an exception,
and that is the people in the south who I’m especially worried about.
KAREN BARLOW: A chartered ferry will today arrive off Beirut to take
about 300 Australians to Turkey, and a further 100 Australians will
travel on a Canadian chartered ship.
Priority will be given to families with children, the elderly and
the sick.
Mr Downer says the Government is negotiating with Israel to ensure
a safe passage for exiting foreign nationals.
ALEXANDER DOWNER: We have a good relationship with Israel and they,
I understand, are concerned. Of course they’ve got to do what they
have to do in relation to Hezbollah, and they’re going to continue
to wage war against Hezbollah.
KAREN BARLOW: Alexander Downer says the Government is trying to
charter another ship for Friday and a bigger one for Saturday.
TONY EASTLEY: Karen Barlow.