SPAIN: Evacuees from Lebanon arrive in Madrid to warm welcome from relatives

"Today is my thirty third birthday and I feel I was born again today," American citizen Ali Ryda said with a big smile at Madrid's airport after hugging and kissing his wife and two daughters who were evacuated by the Spanish government from Beirut on Tuesday (July 19). Ryda, who has been married to a Spanish teacher for more than ten years had been waiting for his family return for almost a week now. They had gone on holidays to Lebanon. "The best birthday gift that have is my three kids," he said adding his disagreement with the present situation in the Middle East. "I am ashamed and I feel sorry as an American that my tax dollars are causing the harm and the bombardment of Lebanon and Lebanese people and killing the civilian people." Ryda's daughters and wife were amongst the new group of evacuees from Lebanon who were brought to Madrid on a commercial plane Tuesday . One hundred Spaniards and 50 more people from different European countries were anxiously awaited by relatives and representatives of their countries at Madrid's international airport. The plane, chartered by the Spanish foreign ministry had picked them up in Amman where they had previously travelled from Damascus in a military plane on Monday (July 18). "They arrived well after 48 hours without sleep. They have seen death many times but, thank God they are here," a happy father told ReutersTelevision right after hugging his wife and two daughters who had gone for holidays to Lebanon two weeks ago. Virgine Cuzart, a Lebanese mother of three girls, was also amongst the group. She will be staying in Madrid with relatives but her biggest hope is to return to her land as soon as possible. "There is too much bombing in Lebanon, we hope it will stop so we can return to our country and we thank the Spanish government for everything, they were very very kind," she told Reuters as she was about to leave Madrid's airport. Spain will continue the evacuation of its nationals. According to the Foreign Ministry, more than three hundred and fifty Spaniards have been repatriated. Another military plane is expected to arrive in Madrid late on Tuesday. Other European countries also continue the evacuation of their nationals from war-ravaged Lebanon. There was concern, however, that the evacuations were not proceeding quickly enough. The fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah has turned parts of Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, into war zones. Britain said two aircraft carriers were among six of naval ships in the region prepared to start rescuing UK citizens from the violence. Other European countries sent boats and planes to reach their nationals stranded by the bombing of Beirut airport, roads and bridges. Countries from as far afield as Chile also made plans to help their citizens flee a seventh day of an Israeli bombardment that has killed 180 people in Lebanon, Lebanese authorities reported Tuesday. An Italian vessel docked late Monday in the Cypriot port of Larnaca, carrying evacuees from Beirut, port officials said. A France-dispatched ferry arrived Monday in Cyprus carrying about 1,250 foreign nationals. In addition to about 800 French citizens, the ship carried about 400 nationals from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Spain, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. The French will be flown Tuesday from Cyprus to Paris. Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said Ottawa is doing "everything possible" to evacuate an estimated 40,000 Canadians in Lebanon. Eight Canadians were reported killed and six more critically wounded on Sunday (July 16) in Lebanon.

ITN Source | July 19, 2006

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