New mercy mission to Ivory Coast

11 November 2004

MADRID — A Spanish military jet left Madrid to evacuate at least 120 people, including some 90 US citizens, from crisis-torn Ivory Coast, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said.

“The US government sought our help and naturally the Spanish government responded favourably,” Moratinos told a news conference in Madrid.

According to the US embassy in Abidjan, the Spanish Boeing 707 on its way to the Ivorian capital would fly out “no less than 90 US citizens,” Moratinos said.

The plane, which left Madrid at 1200 GMT, will also pick up some 30 Spanish
nationals.

A first Spanish plane on Wednesday evening flew out 43 Spaniards, 22 French
nationals and 10 Portuguese.

The US State Department had said Wednesday that in the absence of scheduled flights out of Abidjan the US embassy was working in conjunction with other diplomatic missions to charter special aircraft to bring out those of its citizens who wished to leave.

Some 900 French nationals have already left for Paris and Lome while a Dutch plane brought out around 100 citizens of assorted EU states with further flyouts to follow as foreign nationals flee political violence that has left a reported 169 people dead, 64 in clashes in the capital, Abidjan.
 
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news