Australian Embassy honors troops who fell in battle

26 April 2008

BEIRUT: The Australia Embassy in Lebanon held a special ceremony in Beirut on Friday to mark Anzac Day, an annual commemoration to honor soldiers killed in one of the bloodiest battles during World War I. Australian Ambassador to Lebanon Lyndall Sachs, embassy staff, members of the Australian community, senior Lebanese officials and diplomatic figures gathered at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the Beirut neighborhood of Qasqas on Friday to commemorate Anzac Day.

Anzac Day marks the date of the first landings of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at the Gallipoli Peninsula in the ill-fated Allied campaign to take the Dardanelles Strait from the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Over the years it has become the principal occasion for the remembrance of Australian and New Zealand servicemen who gave their lives for their countries.

In her address, Sachs recalled "those who had died in the rugged hills of Lebanon and Syria. ... In particular we remember those Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died at Naqoura, Marjayoun, Jezzine, Sidon, Damour and in many other towns and villages in Lebanon in 1941."

"Anzac Day is a time to reflect on all the past generations of Australians and New Zealanders who in hardship displayed courage, discipline, self-reliance, self sacrifice, resourcefulness and friendship," Sachs added.

The service included readings from the Bible and the Koran, as well as a reading of the words of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, by a representative from the Turkish Embassy in Lebanon.

Staff from the Australian Embassy in Beirut, Australian officers serving in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and Judge Omar Natour, representing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, laid wreaths on the tombs of fallen Australian soldiers.

The Lebanese Army provided a ceremonial catafalque and played the Last Post.

Meanwhile, the Australian Embassy issued a statement quoting Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans, in which he urged Lebanese who are planning to travel to Australia for the Catholic Church's World Youth Day to apply for their visas "as soon as possible.

"With just three months before Sydney plans host to the week-long event, Senator Evans said pilgrims who had still not obtained visas to enter Australia should apply now so their applications can be processed in time," the statement added.

"While the rate of applications for visas has been increasing over recent weeks, people must understand that the department cannot guarantee that applications lodged after 1 June will be processed in time for pilgrims to travel to Australia in July," Evans said.

World Youth Day pilgrims are expected from more than 170 countries including the United States, Italy, Germany, the Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, Poland and Mexico.

"As part of the Australian government's support for World Youth Day, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship is providing visas for registered pilgrims free of government charges," Senator Evans said.

Pilgrims need to register for the event through the World Youth Day Web site and have their nomination supported by their local bishop.

World Youth Day will include the first visit to Australia of Pope Benedict XVI. - The Daily Star