French evacuees arrive in Cyprus from Lebanon

LARNACA, Cyprus, July 18 (Reuters) France today evacuated some 900 people from Lebanon to Cyprus in an operation cut short because of security concerns in Beirut.

The 1,300-capacity Greek ferry Ierapetra sailed into Larnaca harbour on the Mediterranean island carrying some 300 less people than authorities had hoped it would bring.

''It was supposed to bring back 1,260 people but with night falling we had to close the doors (in Beirut),'' a French diplomat told Reuters. ''There were security reasons,'' he said.

The majority of passengers on board the boat, which officials put at around 900, were French.

A second ferry was scheduled to leave Cyprus, which lies just 85 km away from Lebanon's Mediterranean shores, today evening. ''Those left were not abandoned. There will be a second route tonight,'' the diplomat said.

Western nations have stepped up efforts to evacuate their nationals from Lebanon, which has been pounded by Israel for the past week after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah guerrillas.

Swedish diplomats in Cyprus said that a 1,600-capacity vessel was sailing from the Greek island of Crete to Beirut to pick up Swedes, Greeks and Europeans. The vessel was expected to berth in Beirut at around 1600 local time and return to Cyprus on Wednesday morning.

Today's shuttle brought out about 200 children, including 80 who were travelling without their parents and on vacations in Lebanon. Ambulances were on hand at the quayside of Larnaca port to assist heavily pregnant women off the vessel.

''I was far away from the bombing, but it was too much,'' said Sana, a 22-year-old German woman from Cologne who refused to give her last name. She was forced to leave her Lebanese husband behind.

''He didn't want to leave. If it wasn't for the baby, I wouldn't have left either,'' she said.

Reuters SB VA DS1232