PRIVATE yachts have carried at least 250 people from Lebanon since Saturday as concern grows over an escalation of the unrest in Beirut.
Larnaca Marina Chief Michalis Philis said yesterday that three private yachts, each carrying on average a dozen people, arrived on Saturday, ten on Sunday, and ten more by yesterday afternoon.
Beirut airport has been closed for over a week, and Cyprus Airways has suspended all flights until tomorrow morning, when it will again review the situation, spokesman Kyriacos Kyriacou said yesterday.
Currently, the only other way to Cyprus is by boat, but reports from Lebanon said yesterday the army was planning to open an air strip in the north of the country so that foreign nationals could be flown out if necessary.
Philis said the yachts that were coming to Cyprus were dropping people off and returning to Lebanon to pick up more. The 200-kilometre trip from Lebanon to Cyprus by motor yacht takes around six hours. Among the passengers who landed yesterday was the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon and his family. They are expected to fly home from Larnaca.
“The people we spoke to told us that they left because of the unstable situation,” Philis said.
Philis said some of those who were arriving at Larnaca were planning to stay until they could determine how the situation would develop. Others planned to fly on to different destinations, he said.
“We expect more boats to come but we don’t know how many, as confirmation only comes shortly before they arrive here,” he added.
Cyprus is bracing itself for another crisis in Lebanon, and is closely watching developments in Beirut.
In the summer of 2006, around 55,000 evacuees passed through Cyprus during the month-long hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Although no instructions for an evacuation of dual national Cypriots have yet been issued, those calling the Cypriot embassy in Beirut are being told that if they really wish to leave, they should travel by taxi to Syria.
However, most are being advised to stay put. There are around 1,000 Cypriots with dual nationality living in Lebanon, mainly in Sidon, Tripoli and in greater Beirut.
Cyprus’ Chargé d’Affaires in Beirut, Kyriacos Kouros, said yesterday that the situation remained generally calm but unpredictable.
Kouros said around 60 people had contacted the embassy, including visitors and permanent residents.
“The situation is unpredictably calm, we are advising those who are approaching the embassy to remain where they are until the situation becomes clear and we are in a position to advise them on the next steps, provided there are opportunities to move them either via land, sea or otherwise, to their final destinations. But for the time being, the general advice is ‘remain where you are’,” he added.
The Foreign Ministry yesterday advised Cypriots not to travel to Lebanon unless it was absolutely imperative.
