Canada's Harper diverts plane to pick up evacuees

PARIS/LARNACA, July 20 (Reuters) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper diverted his plane to Cyprus to pick up Canadians fleeing Israeli air strikes in Lebanon.

Harper, in Europe at the end of a week-long three-country tour, decided to divert his Canadian Forces Airbus yesterday to pick up as many citizens as he could before returning to Canada.

Harper's government has been criticised for its handling of the evacuation and for defending Israel's actions in Lebanon, even after an Israeli bomb killed eight Canadians on Sunday.

Harper rejected the idea he had ordered the diversion simply to generate good publicity.

Before he left for Cyprus, he said criticism was inevitable at such times but ''we believe there's a real need here, and we can make a more-than-symbolic contribution to helping with the situation.'' He expects to pick up 100 to 120 people of about 350 that his spokeswoman said were boarding a vessel in Lebanon for an overnight journey to Cyprus.

Those who cannot find a place on Harper's plane would fly on another plane the Canadian government was chartering. Canada has chartered six other vessels as well.

Harper did not leave his aircraft in Cyprus, where he was met by the Cypriot foreign minister. A spokesman said he would wait for the Canadians at the airport.

MORE SHIPS TO BEIRUT The remaining six vessels which Canada has chartered are due to enter Beirut on Thursday.

Spokeswoman Sandra Buckler estimated Canada had 40,000 to 50,000 people in Lebanon, possibly the largest contingent of any western nation, and Harper said Canadian officials were working around the clock on evacuation plans.

Media criticism of Harper has been particularly heavy in the French-speaking province of Quebec, where his minority Conservatives need to make further gains if they are to win the next federal election outright.

The French-language La Presse newspaper said on Wednesday not one representative from the party had attended a Montreal memorial for the eight dead Canadians.

Harper said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called him on Wednesday to express his ''deep sorrow'' at the deaths. He assured Harper Israel would do what it could do facilitate the Canadian evacuation.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard also won agreement from Harper to help Australians leave Lebanon.

Opposition politicians attacked Harper on Tuesday on the grounds his pro-Israel line had damaged the chances of Canada playing an honest broker role in the region.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, then-Canadian Foreign Minister Lester Pearson suggested the idea of an international peacekeeping force for the Middle East.

But the traditionally pro-Israeli National Post applauded Harper for taking what it called a principled stand in reserving most of his criticism for Hizbollah and Hamas militants.

Reuters YA GC0426