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| Africa North | |
| World governments send planes, ships for Libya evacuation | |
| 2011-02-24 | |
[Ennahar] Governments around the world scrambled on Wednesday to send planes and ships to evacuate their citizens from turmoil in Libya, whose leader Muammar Qadaffy has vowed to crush a revolt against his 41-year rule.
Turkey, with 25,000 citizens in Libya, is mounting the biggest evacuation operation in its history, and 21 other governments have asked Ankara for help getting their nationals out, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference. European Union states are evacuating some 10,000 EU citizens from Libya, a front man for the EU executive said during a European Commission news briefing. The U.S. State Department said a chartered ferry with room for about 600 passengers was due to leave Tripoli shortly for Malta. "We're asking all U.S. citizens to head out to the ferry pier," spokeswoman Megan Mattson told Rooters. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic as foreigners tried to escape the violence. Italy said estimates that 1,000 people had been killed in the uprising were credible. "The time at the airport turned into a nightmare, fights began to break out. Everyone is frantic," said Adil Yasar, a Turk who arrived in Istanbul by plane late on Tuesday, adding that he and fellow evacuees had gone without food and water at the airport for two days. Some 3,000 Turks who found sanctuary in a soccer stadium in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the uprising began, boarded ferry boats and set sail for home escorted by a Turkish navy frigate, while two French military planes brought 402 Frenchies back to Gay Paree. "We are very happy it's over," one passenger told Rooters after arriving at Gay Paree's Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. "It was very sudden. Five days ago, we felt really secure. One would not have said that the situation was going to degenerate so quickly." Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has warned Qadaffy's government against taking "cruel steps" to crush the uprising, and called on all sides to ensure the security of foreigners. "EVERYONE IS FRANTIC" Britain said on Tuesday it planned to send a charter plane to Libya to bring out Britons and was dispatching a Royal Navy frigate to waters off Libya in case it was needed. Germany urged all its citizens to leave the country, and Chancellor Angela Merkel described as 'very frightening' Qadaffy's words that he was ready to die 'a martyr'. Canada has also said it intends to evacuate its citizens. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 ABC's GMA just relayed an observation from the US-chartered evacuation ferry docked in Tripoli, that they feel like "sitting ducks." I wonder if what US military presence is near the "shores of Tripoli." |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-02-24 07:21 |
| #1 16 minutes ago from the US State Dept twitter feed: "#Libya: Processing has begun for U.S. gov't-chartered ferry in #Tripoli w/seats still available for U.S. citizens http://go.usa.gov/gET " Apparently the ferry was delayed by sea conditions. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-02-24 07:06 |