Cyprus-Forum.com

[Lit]

(RTTNews) - http://www.rttnews.com/Content/MarketSe ... 41135&SM=1

Cyprus Detains Arms Ship Bound For Sudan

6/22/2010 8:21 PM ET

Cyprus confirmed Tuesday that it has barred a ship carrying arms cargo supposedly bound for Sudan from leaving the island.

Cyprus said it would hold the ship until international inspectors certify the cargo does not violate existing UN and EU arms embargo on Sudan.

Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides told Cyprus Radio on Tuesday that there was "prohibited material" on board the detained ship, adding that the cargo is "considered prohibited from leaving Cyprus right now."

"When we speak of prohibited material it means explosives or military material," Paschalides said. "I cannot specify right now what material it is, whether it is tanks, not tanks or other things, but there is definitely military material which comes under export control."

Meanwhile, Cypriot officials said the Antigua-and-Barbuda-flagged ship's manifest indicated that it is carrying explosives destined for Sudan, indicating that authorities are investigating whether the cargo breaches the UN and EU embargo.


The ship in question, the Santiago, has been anchored off the southern Cypriot port of Limassol since 11th June, when it was inspected after the ship's captain had sought permission to refuel in Cyprus.

Cypriot police are currently trying to determine the authenticity of the ship's documents, which suggested that the vessel was sailing to Sudan and then to Singapore with the cargo picked up in Norway, Germany and Spain.

An U.N. arms embargo on Darfur was imposed in 2004, a year after rebels there took up arms against the Sudanese government. In addition, the European Union, of which Cyprus is a member, has also banned arms shipments to Sudan.

According to UN estimates, about 300,000 people have been killed and some 2.7 million displaced in the Darfur region after ethnic Africans took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in 2003 to fight discrimination.

by RTT Staff Writer

[alex_ruffneck]

Yeah i just heard about this on the radio, i'll be keeping an eye on what happens with this ship

[EPSILON]

Yeah i just heard about this on the radio, i'll be keeping an eye on what happens with this ship

Are the arms on board suitable for the NG?

[alex_ruffneck]

NG?

EDIT: National Guard? If so, and if the contents of the ship is indeed tanks and explosives, then yeah damn right, give them to cypriot army, i'll happily use them

[Get Real!]

Nothing headed for Africa and especially the Sudan, can possibly be of any value to the CNG! That’s where we sell our old junk to ...like hundreds of thousands of Zastava rifles in the 90s!

[IMPOSTALIEDUS]

It is a shame that other countries dont do more on cargo like this , there would be less trouble around the world if they did

[Lit]

Cyprus detains 'Sudan-bound arms ship'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10377917.stm

Cyprus has barred a ship carrying military equipment from leaving until inspectors confirm its cargo does not breach UN and EU arms embargos.

Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides told Cyprus Radio there was "prohibited material" on board the Santiago, such as explosives and military equipment.

The manifest of the vessel says it was sailing to Sudan and Singapore.

The EU bans arms shipments to Sudan, while there is a UN embargo on armed groups in the nation's Darfur region.

Two rounds of north-south civil war since the 1960s have cost the lives of about 1.5 million people.

Meanwhile, a continuing conflict in Darfur has driven more than 2.6 million people from their homes and killed 300,000, according to the UN.
'US tip-off'

On Tuesday, the Cypriot authorities said an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship had been anchored off the island's southern port of Limassol since 11 June, when it was inspected while refuelling.

"There is material [on board] which is considered prohibited from leaving Cyprus right now," Mr Paschalides told Cyprus Radio. "When we speak of prohibited material it means explosives or military material.

"I cannot specify right now what material it is, whether it is tanks, not tanks or other things, but there is definitely military material which comes under export control," he added, responding to local media reports.

The minister said the vessel's papers suggested it had sailed from Norway and had passed through the German port of Hamburg and through Spain.

Police said they were checking the authenticity of the documents.

The local newspaper Phileleftheros, which broke the story, reported that the ship had been held after a tip-off from the US authorities.

The US embassy in Nicosia said Washington was not involved.

In 2009, Cyprus intercepted a ship heading to Syria from Iran carrying weapons-related material and confiscated its cargo.

The authorities said at the time that the cargo was in "clear" breach of UN sanctions banning arms exports from Iran.

[alex_ruffneck]

Any more news on this?

[Lit]

Any more news on this?

Suspect ship leaves Cyprus
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE 27.JUN.10
``Santiago``, a ship carrying explosives and military material for Sudan and Singapore, sailed from Cyprus, after the government issued on Friday a sailing permit.

The Antigua and Barbuda flagged vessel has been detained in Cyprus since June 11.

Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides said on Friday that the government issued the export permit for the military equipment on board the ship.

Furthermore, he announced that the explosives on the vessel can be exported to Sudan, as the competent authorities have verified that no export permit is required for this type of material.

Asked about compensation Sudan is seeking from Cyprus for the detention of the ship, Paschalides said that Cyprus “as an EU member has to follow this procedure in a responsible way and be certain firstly about the validity of certain documents and secondly, about their legality”.

http://www.famagusta-gazette.com/defaul ... te&he=.com