Government asks Britain to help evacuate NZers

BEIRUT - A huge international effort is under way to get people out of Lebanon as the Israeli bombardment continues.

New Zealand has asked Britain, which is sending two warships to the region, for help. Among the Kiwis in Lebanon is a wedding party of 14 from Papakura.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that the New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Jonathan Hunt, had been instructed to request formally that where the British developed action plans they covered New Zealanders as well.

Britain is planning for a possible large evacuation of British nationals.

Italian military flights yesterday rushed out 350 people to Cyprus.

France, which has more than 20,000 citizens in Lebanon, chartered a Greek ferry.

Two Marine Corps helicopters evacuated 21 Americans from the US Embassy's fortified grounds in Beirut, bound for Cyprus.

US assessment teams arrived in Beirut to draw up evacuation plans for 25,000 Americans in Lebanon.

Israeli air strikes yesterday killed 23 people in Lebanon and Jerusalem dismissed as premature a proposal for an international military force to help end Hizbollah rocket attacks on the Jewish state.

Helen Clark said both sides in the conflict needed to "pull back".

But Foreign Minister Winston Peters said NZ had told Israel its response was getting out of hand.

"The fact is the [abducted Israeli] soldiers should be given back, which was the primary cause of the escalation in the first place," he said. "But that said, this reaction seems to be far beyond what is required."

Asked if she agreed with Mr Peters, Helen Clark said: "That's certainly the considered view of the Foreign Ministry and I accept that view.

"Of course it is a terrible thing for a young soldier to be captured and held as hostage and for that to be followed by others. But what is clear is there is no solution to the Middle East crisis through war."