GENEVA, JULY 21, SPA -- SIXTY THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EVACUATED FROMLEBANON TO CYPRUS SO FAR, DPA QUOTED THE UN’S OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OFHUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA) AS SAYING FRIDAY. MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN LEBANON, 30 PER CENT OFTHEM CHILDREN, AND MORE THAN 860 WOUNDED AS THE HUMANITARIANSITUATION GROWS WORSE. TWENTY-NINE ISRAELIS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE NORTH OF ISRAEL ANDAT LEAST 200 WOUNDED BY ROCKETS FIRED BY THE MILITANT LEBANESEHEZBOLLAH MOVEMENT. ISRAEL HAS BEEN BOMBARDING LEBANON SINCE LAST WEEK FOLLOWING THECAPTURE OF TWO OF ITS SOLDIERS BY HEZBOLLAH. MEANWHILE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDING HELP TO FLEE THE VIOLENCEIN LEBANON CONTINUES TO GROW, SAID THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FORMIGRATION (IOM) AS IT LAUNCHED AN URGENT APPEAL FOR FUNDS. IN ADDITION TO THE ESTIMATED 500,000 INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLEIN LEBANON, MORE AND MORE GOVERNMENTS ARE TURNING TO THE IOM FORASSISTANCE. SRI LANKA, ETHIOPIA, GHANA AND THE PHILIPPINES HAVEREQUESTED HELP FOR AT LEAST 10,000 OF THEIR NATIONALS ALONG WITHBANGLADESH, IRAQ, MOLDOVA, RUSSIA AND VIETNAM. THE IOM SAID IT NEEDS 12 MILLION DOLLARS TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATEASSISTANCE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE STRANDED, SOME OF THEM WORKERS WITHOUTPAPERS WHO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED BY THEIR EMPLOYERS. THE UN AGENCIES APPEALED AGAIN FOR ACCESS TO THE POPULATION OFLEBANON AS THEY STILL FACE HUGE DIFFICULTIES IN REACHING THOSE INNEED. "ACCESS, ACCESS, ACCESS. REACHING THE REACHABLE AND FINDING WAYSOF REACHING THE UNREACHABLE, THAT IS OUR MAJOR CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW,"SAID WIVINA BELMONTE OF UNICEF. "A GHOST COUNTRY AND A GHOST TOWN" WAS HOW A MEMBER OF THE WORLDFOOD PROGRAMME TEAM DESCRIBED LEBANON AND BEIRUT AS THEY REACHED THECONFLICT ZONE FROM SYRIA TO ASSESS URGENT NEEDS. THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT HAS REQUESTED EMERGENCY SUPPLIES OF FOOD,BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM IS SAFETY. A HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR HAS TO BE OPENED AS A MATTER OF URGENCY,SAID MATTHIAS BURCHARD OF THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AGENCY AND WORKSAGENCY, UNRWA. MOVING TRUCKS WAS HAZARDOUS. "THE ROADS BETWEEN LEBANON AND SYRIAARE BEING INCREASINGLY TARGETED, SO WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHATIS THE PRINCIPAL SUPPLY ROUTE BY ROAD FROM DAMASCUS," ADDED BURCHARD. ONE PROBLEM IS THAT MOST STOCKS OF FOOD HELD IN BEIRUT OR IN PORTSIN THE SOUTH ARE IN AREAS NOW UNDER SIEGE BY THE ISRAELIS.--SPA 21/07/2006 15:11 ت م www.spa.gov.sa/377100