UN to evacuate staff from Egypt

Some 350 people working for the United Nations in Egypt will be evacuated to Cyprus because of security concerns in the country, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission on the Mediterranean island said today.      Rolando Gomez said two UN chartered aircraft will each conduct two round-trip flights from Cyprus's Larnaca airport to Cairo today to collect staff and their family.

"The staff will be temporarily relocated due to the security situation in Egypt," Gomez told the Associated Press.

Gomez said arrangements have been made to accommodate up to 600 staff and dependants at Cyprus hotels.

Gomez initially said that UN staff would also be evacuated to Dubai, but later said it has now been decided to fly them all to Cyprus.

It's not yet clear how long the staff will remain on the island or whether they will leave for other destinations, he said.

The first flight to Larnaca _ some 360 miles (580 kilometers) from Cairo _ was due to arrive at 1100 GMT, but has been delayed by an hour, Gomez said.

Gomez said some UN staff will remain in Egypt to continue carrying out "essential functions."