Original source URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060909/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanonport_060909104959 Ships return to Beirut after Israel ends blockade by Albion Land 2 hours, 38 minutes ago The port of Beirut welcomed its first big cargo ships since Israel lifted its punishing eight-week blockade, a major boost for an import-hungry country where 80 percent of goods arrive by ship. "Two boats arrived at 2:00 am (2300 GMT Friday) and we immediately started to unload," said the port's director, Hassan Kraytem. "We're back in business and everyone is working." Kraytem said two smaller ships arrived Friday, one of them before Israel lifted its sea blockade that same afternoon. Three additional ships were expected Sunday, he said Saturday. By mid-morning, the two container vessels were almost completely unloaded, and there was almost no activity along the two kilometres (1.2 miles) of cargo yards. There were actually more Lebanese police and soldiers around than dockworkers. Their number was augmented by 250 French soldiers who had docked first thing in the morning, a logistical unit preparing the way for the arrival of a 900-man combat battalion in the next couple of weeks. The lifting of the naval blockade a day after Israel dropped its restrictions on air travel was seen as an essential step in reviving the country's economy, shattered by the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah that ended August 14. "Beirut port is a reflection of Lebanon's economy," said Kraytem. "We are an essential part of the economy." Not only do 80 percent of imports arrive here, but 60 percent of exports leave from the port. Kraytem said it was difficult to calculate the losses to the port itself from the 34-day war, which ended on August 14, and from the blockade that continued until Friday. "We hope that in the next two months we will be back to normal," he said, explaining that monthly revenues are usually in the neighborhood of eight to 10 million dollars. The privately owned Beirut Port Authority had forecast traffic of 700,000 20-foot containers in 2006. The figure for June was a record 60,078 containers, but the affect of the war, which broke out on July 12, was evident in that month's figures -- 20,000. And in August, of course, there was nothing. From the window of his office, Kraytem pointed to thousands of empty containers stacked up along roughly two-thirds of the port's length. The port, which usually receives six ships a day, is also an essential gateway for merchandise headed for neighboring countries. "We have a contract to receive per year 250,000 containers destined for neighboring countries," Kraytem said, adding the good news that the contractor had recently announced its intention to carry on. At the moment, 2,000 containers that were in the yards when the war began are still waiting for trans-shipment. As for the economy as a whole, Kraytem said the losses from the war and blockade are almost impossible to calculate -- starting with the 300 to 400 men who work unloading boats and who earn from 700 to 1,500 dollars a month. Israel slapped the blockade on Lebanon on July 13, a day after launching its war against Hezbollah following the capture of two soldiers in a deadly cross-border attack by the Shiite militant group. It agreed to end the embargo after receiving assurances that an international force would patrol the coast and monitor the airport to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. Lebanon's large-cicrulation daily An-Nahar summed up the mood in the country. "Lebanon has closed the book on the blockade ... and opened the one on reconstruction," it wrote. Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. -- -------------------------------------------------------- Escaping the Matrix website http://escapingthematrix.org/ cyberjournal website http://cyberjournal.org subscribe cyberjournal list mailto:•••@••.••• Posting archives http://cyberjournal.org/show_archives/ Blogs: cyberjournal forum http://cyberjournal-rkm.blogspot.com/ Achieving real democracy http://harmonization.blogspot.com/ for readers of ETM http://matrixreaders.blogspot.com/ Community Empowerment http://empowermentinitiatives.blogspot.com/ Blogger made easy http://quaylargo.com/help/ezblogger.html
