10 August
2006 - International — Over 75 tons of essential
medical supplies have been safely transported
to Lebanon via sea, following a joint operation
between Greenpeace and Medecins Sans Frontieres,
in which three voyages were made by the Rainbow
Warrior between Larnaca in Cyprus and Beirut.
The humanitarian cargos consisted
of essential relief equipment, including medical
equipment, dialysis material, drugs, hygiene kits
and fuel, which was transported on the three shuttle
voyages, starting on 2 August and ending today
at 0900 when the Rainbow Warrior arrived back
in Larnaca.
"We are very happy to have
been able to play our part in delivering much
needed humanitarian supplies to parts of Lebanon
which have become inaccessible due to the current
conflict" said Bruno Rebelle, programme director
of Greenpeace International. "The crew and
volunteers on board the Rainbow Warrior worked
tirelessly to load and transport the cargo under
difficult conditions, and have completed the missions
in a professional and efficient manner."
At every stage, Greenpeace and
MSF ensured through close liaison safe passage
for the ship and crew. On each leg of the journey
between Larnaca and Beirut the Rainbow Warrior
obtained security clearance with the Israeli Defence
Force.
"We are very grateful
to Greenpeace and the crew and volunteers aboard
the Rainbow Warrior. Use of the ship has allowed
us to transport large volumes of relief goods
into Beirut, which had previously been a major
logistical problem due to damaged roads and lack
of security guarantees on vehicles." said
Jérôme Oberreit, operational director
for MSF in Brussels. "MSF's challenge now
is to continue that transport on land from Beirut
to the south of Lebanon, where the need is most
acute."
The Rainbow Warrior will shortly
resume her tour of the Mediterranean to highlight
the severe problems for the marine environment
caused by unsustainable and illegal fishing and
coastal development, and continuing Greenpeaces'
campaign demanding the setting up of marine reserves
in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.
Medecins Sans Frontieres has
around 50 international staff working in areas
in Lebanon that are severely affected by the conflict.
The emphasis in MSF's activities is on supporting
Lebanese health workers, setting up additional
health posts and mobile clinics where necessary,
and distributing basic materials (shelter, hygiene
kits, cooking utensils, baby powder milk) to displaced
families.
