The United States Department of State has issued a statement saying it plans to waive any fees associated with US nationals' evacuation from the now wartorn Lebanese territory. The situation had provoked anger, as evacuation teams were late in arriving, and stranded Americans complained the proposed commercial fees were making it difficult to arrange their departure.

A spokesperson for the State Dept. had said the Dept. was required to charge fees that would reimburse the government for any expenses associated with the evacuation, citing a 1956 law. But the announcement also suggested the US government was looking to collect commercial rates for the evacuation, leading to angry speculation by some that it sought to raise a profit from the hardship of the public it would be serving, despite not ultimately providing comfortable tourist conditions for the journey.

Members of Congress were deluged with complaints about the procedure as conceived by the State Dept., and while thousands of citizens from European countries were moved out of Lebanon, the US government was busy structuring a plan to evacuate without making the fee a priority.

Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, announced that "No U.S. citizen will not be boarded because they left their checkbook or credit card at home," adding "I need to get people out of harm's way first, and that's what we're going to do."

The shift continued to ignite tensions, as evacuees complained it sounded like a back-end billing scheme, where they would not even know the cost until some later date, but would be forced to use the service, due to fear for their families' safety.

Pressure quickly mounted on the Bush administration to respond, and to ensure that the safety of Americans was its only priority. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said "A nation that can provide more than $300 billion for a war in Iraq can provide the money to get its people out of Lebanon."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, which has the nation's largest Lebanese population, said "We must not abandon American citizens in a war zone. Our government should be focusing on the fastest, safest way to get Americans home, not how much to bill them once they get there." She also planned to introduce legislation to ensure the fee would not be applied.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice contacted New Hampshire senator John Sununu, a Republican of Lebanese descent, to inform him that she would waive the fee for all evacuees from the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Sununu had joined the prominent Democrats in intensely criticizing the fee policy.

By that time, the State Dept. said it had evacuated 350 US nationals, but that many had already found their own way out while waiting for assistance. So of the estimated 25,000 in Lebanon, it was difficult to say how many might still remain in harm's way. [s]

BACKGROUND:
ISRAEL-LEBANON CONFLICT RAPIDLY ESCALATING
HEZBOLLAH ROCKET ATTACKS MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN BEFORE, PROMPTING OVERWHELMING FORCE FROM ISRAELI MILITARY
17 July 2006

Israel's bombardment of Lebanon is described today as "relentless", with new targets in northern Lebanon having been hit and civilian death tolls and injuries mounting. Leaders at the G8 summit have issued a joint communiqué blaming Hezbollah attacks on civilians for the violence, demanding an end to rocket attacks, but calling on Israel to cease all operations in Lebanon that could harm civilians. [Full Story]

OBSERVERS WORRY MIDEAST ESCALATION COULD FLARE INTO WAR
WORLD LEADERS, INCLUDING US STATE DEPT., URGE BOTH ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH TO REFRAIN FROM ESCALATING VIOLENCE
14 July 2006

Israel's attack on Lebanon has escalated, with bombing of Beirut's international airport, the main highway between Beirut and Damascus, at least one power station, several bridges, and a mounting sea blockade. Israel says it holds Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah's abduction of two Israeli soldiers and is acting in self-defense. The US State Department, through Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has called on all sides to refrain from using disproportionate violence and to scale back attacks, but admits the right of Israel to defend itself. [Full Story]