Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper assigned airforce aircraft to pick up Canadians in Lebanon

July 21, 2006

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper fulfilled his promise to use his own assigned airforce aircraft to pick up Canadians fleeing from the assault on Lebanon and who are currently stranded in Cyprus.

About one hundred people were taken on board the Prime Minister's aircraft and flown out of Cyprus with Harper.

Harper, who greeted the evacuees, told the media in an interview that the situation was challenging for the government due to the numbers of Canadians fleeing the war torn region by boat to Cyprus.

Canada has one of the largest groups of nationals in Lebanon of any country in the world, and has already seen eight citizens killed in an Israeli air strike to date.

"Today has been a successful day, as far as the evacuation has gone," "Nothing is perfect in ideal circumstances, and this is a war zone." said, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.