271 Palestinians Ousted by Libya Sail for Syria
A ship carrying 271 Palestinians expelled from Libya left Cyprus on Sunday for Syria, ending a 10-day ordeal during which the Palestinians were stranded off the Cypriot coast aboard a car ferry.
A tug towed the Syrian-owned Fayza Express out of Larnaca’s port, the ship’s decks packed with men, women and children chanting and dancing to drums.
Holding up a large picture of Syrian President Hafez Assad, the Palestinians aboard the Fayza Express chanted “Syria is our national pride” and “Long live Assad” as they embarked on their 11-hour voyage.
Shipping agent George Georgides said a second Syrian vessel, the Al Assad, was expected to arrive at Larnaca late Sunday to collect the more than 341 Palestinians remaining on the Greek-owned Countess M who had Syrian papers.
Adamos Adamides, the Cypriot minister for communications and public works, also expressed confidence that the rest of the Countess M’s passengers would be out of Cyprus soon.
The Countess M, which left Libya on Oct. 13, initially tried to go to Syria. The Syrians refused to let the ship land passengers, and it anchored off Larnaca on Tuesday.
About 30,000 Palestinians had lived in Libya for decades until Libyan leader Col. Moammar Kadafi ordered them to leave in August, ostensibly to punish Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat for his peace accords with Israel.
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