As additional corridors for the
transport of aid open up into Lebanon, German Government aircraft are
now beginning rotations between Larnaca and Beirut to carry shipments
of humanitarian goods.
The situation in Lebanon has improved
since the cessation of hostilities laid out in Security Council
resolution 1701 came into effect on August 14th, despite some
violations which have drawn attention to its current fragility. The IDF
has withdrawn 2/3 of its troops as UNIFIL moves into position, and the
Lebanese Army has already deployed over 1,500 soldiers in the south. An
international force, which will probably be under Italian lead, is
slowly being gathered to support peacekeeping operations, and an
initial 200 French troops arrived on August 21st. Work has begun to
repair the road network and bridges which suffered severe damage during
the conflict, and restrictions on aid convoys are easing, though the
threat of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in many areas means extreme caution
is still required.
In Beirut, the Rafik Hariri International
Airport has reopened to international traffic, marking the end of the
36-day Israeli blockade, and the airport is now under repair. The first
flight, by Middle Eastern Airways, took place on August 17th, and
Jordanian Airways are now running three flights a day into Beirut. With
the opening up of this corridor, OCHA has requested and obtained
airlift support from the German Government to transport aid from Ammam
and Cyprus, and yesterday morning (22/08/06) the first German
government flight between Larnaca and Beirut left the airport at 07:00
hours. Its initial shipment consisted of 4.5 MT of goods for WHO and
WFP, which was booked for transport through the Logistics Cluster Cargo
Movement Request (CMR) procedure. Two German Air Force C-160s have been stationed in
Larnaca but with commercial traffic into Lebanon starting up again, they will cease operations on
Wednesday, September 20. The Logistics Cluster will remain available to
assist agencies and NGOs in arranging transport solutions for their
cargoes until end October using commercial means.
Beirut International Airport :
