Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Libya and evacuated its ambassador and all staff from the strife-torn North African country.
A Canadian C-17 Globemaster aircraft left Libya on Saturday carrying 46 evacuees, including 24 Canadian citizens, the Prime Minister's Office said in a briefing. The aircraft was due to arrive in Malta later in the day.
Those on board included Canadian diplomats - among them, Canada's ambassador, Haig Sarafian - as well as the Australian dipomatic team, said Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's communications director.
Fewer than 200 Canadians remain in Libya and fewer than 100 want to leave, Soudas said. Most remaining Canadians are in the Benghazi area and are working for companies.
There are no Canadians currently at Tripoli International Airport, but a British flight is leaving later Saturday and will take any Canadians who make it to airport, according to Harper's spokesman.
It's believed as many as 1,000 people have died in violence in Libya as government forces continue to crack down on protesters demanding an end to Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year rule.
'Last planned' evacuation flight
Earlier Saturday, the Canadian government had advised Canadians needing help getting out of Libya that the "last planned evacuation flight" would be leaving the embattled country's capital sometime Saturday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on its website that Canadians wishing to depart on the flight should leave for Tripoli International Airport "at first light."
"Given the unpredictable security situation and deteriorating conditions, this is the last planned evacuation flight," the department said.
The C-17 military transport aircraft has been designed for rapid strategic airlift, even from unpaved runways. The aircraft featured prominently during the Canadian military's aid mission in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
In a televised statement Friday evening, the prime minister said the Canadian government has "facilitated" the safe evacuation of about 200 Canadians from Libya on a number of flights and vessels.
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
The Day in Photos
A Yemeni anti-government protesters with the national flag painted over his face demonstrates in Sanaa on February 26, 2011 to demand President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster after three decades in power.
Mohammad Huwais, AFP/Getty Images
AP
The Day in Photos
Supporters of Presidential rival Alassane Ouattara take part in a demonstration in the Abobo neighborhood in Abidjan on February 19, 2011. The west African country has been in political and economic crisis since November 28 presidential elections, which most of the international community recognized as won by Ouattara.
Wives and relatives of retired and active military officers charged in the so-called Sledgehammer trial hold national flags as they protest at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey , in Ankara on February 19, 2011.
The trial of nearly 200 former Turkish military officers began in a court on February 16 over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Prosecutors accuse the 196 officers, including the former commanders of the Turkish navy and air force, of colluding in 2003 to carry out a coup plot nicknamed "Sledgehammer."
The trial of nearly 200 former Turkish military officers began in a court on February 16 over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Prosecutors accuse the 196 officers, including the former commanders of the Turkish navy and air force, of colluding in 2003 to carry out a coup plot nicknamed "Sledgehammer."
A Bahraini anti-government protester reacts as he and thousands of others return to Pearl Square in Manama on February 19, 2011, the focal point of bloody anti-regime demonstrations, after police and troops withdrew in what appeared to be a conciliatory move.
A model walks down the catwalk during the early run-through for the Jena Theo Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, on the first day of the London Fashion Week in London, on February 18, 2011.
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves in her quarter-final match against Shahar Peer of Israel during day five of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on February 18, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Virtuoso violinist Nicola Benedetti, stands in the Playfair Library in the University of Edinburgh on February 18, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The classical musician is to become patron of a scheme that will provide scholarship opportunities for postgraduate students in Italian studies. The Scottish born violinist, who is proud of her Italian heritage, launched the Nicola Benedetti Scholarship Fund to help generate opportunities for students to take part in Italian Studies in Edinburgh.
Bahraini pro-government supporters gather near the Al-Fateh mosque following Friday's noon prayers in the capital Manama on February 18, 2011 as angry Shiites burried the dead of a violent police raid on anti-regime protesters.
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg addresses a statement on February 18, 2011 at his ministry in Berlin, where the popular defence minister said he was temporarily renouncing his doctorate amid allegations he plagiarised large sectors of his thesis. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told reporters: "I will temporarily, I repeat temporarily, give up my doctoral title" until his former university completes an investigation into the claims.
An Indian army officer (L) watches as potential recruits are put through their paces during a recruitment rally in Khasa, some 15 Kms from Amritsar on February 16, 2011. The Indian Army held a recruitment rally as part of an ongoing recruitment drive.
Dieter Zetsche (C), CEO of German auto giant Daimler, moves chairs to get space for a group picture with the members of the board for finances, Boddo Uebber (R), and for Mercedes trucks, Andreas Renschler (L), during the company's annual press conference in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on February 16, 2011. The German luxury car maker Daimler said that it had turned around 2009 losses thanks to a rebound in major markets and efforts to make operations more efficient.
Many Canadians wishing to leave have found their own way out by hitching rides on allied countries' flights and ships.
On Friday, hundreds of employees of a Montreal-based company that is overseeing a number of construction projects in Libya left the country by bus. The SNC Lavalin workers had been holed up in a camp about 200 kilometres from Tripoli.
However, on the same day, when the Canadian government landed a plane in Tripoli from Amman, Jordan, the crew found no Canadians or other foreign nationals ready to board, so it left empty.
The Canadian Embassy had warned on its website on Friday that the road to Tripoli's airport was impassable. It described the situation for travellers as "extremely chaotic" as it advised Canadians not to attempt reach the airport. Filed under: Canada
No comments:
Post a Comment