Jordan Times
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Foreign Ministry evacuates 300
more citizens from Lebanon
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — The evacuation of Jordanian citizens from
Lebanon continued yesterday as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) laid on
buses to transport another 300 nationals out of the war-torn country.
“The third batch of Jordanians were evacuated yesterday from Lebanon in eight
buses provided by the MoFA,” the ministry’s spokesperson told The Jordan Times
on Monday.
The official said the evacuation is being organised in coordination with the
Jordanian embassy in Lebanon.
The mass exodus of Jordanians by bus started on Friday in the wake of the
military escalation between Israel and Hisbollah.
“Up until Saturday, 375 Jordanians were evacuated and we will continue to
evacuate citizens wishing to leave Lebanon once they contact the Jordanian
embassy there,” the source added.
The ministry official confirmed that no Jordanians have been reported killed or
injured in Lebanon since the start of military escalations last Wednesday.
“The situation is under control and we will continue to coordinate with our
missions in Lebanon and Syria to assist Jordanian citizens,” the official said.
Thousands of tourists have been scrambling to flee Lebanon since Israel launched
its ground, sea and air attacks on the country early Wednesday.
The only means of leaving the country is currently by road through the Masnaa
border crossing with Syria after Israel imposed an air and sea blockade. Israel
has also bombed the main Beirut - Damascus highway.
The situation has prompted a frantic search by tourists for taxis and buses, as
well as pressure on their respective embassies to repatriate them.
Many Jordanians fled Lebanon in hired cars and taxis.
Yesterday, foreign countries put into place contingency plans to evacuate
terrified nationals caught up in the conflict.
France and Britain, who between them have some 30,000 citizens working or living
in Lebanon, dispatched warships to the region.
Around 40 British nationals were evacuated by helicopter from Beirut yesterday
morning, while a ferry-boat chartered by the French government sailed for Beirut
from Limassol in Cyprus.
The Iera Petra was due to dock during the day and bring out 1,200 French and
European nationals, French Ambassador in Nicosia Hadelin de la Tour du Pin told
Agence France-Presse.
The United States also has “planning teams” on the ground in Beirut to prepare
the ground for the evacuation of an estimated 25,000 passport-holders.
Here the official said more buses would be dispatched to Lebanon as and when
demanded.
“It is hard to estimate the number of people wanting to leave because some could
be residing in remote areas,” said the official.