Turkey says Russian ship delivered 60 tons of ‘dangerous cargo' to Syria

[RedBeard]

Turkey has confirmed that a Russian ship suspected of delivering munitions to Syria in violation of an EU arms embargo after an unscheduled stop in Greek Cyprus is expected to dock at Turkey's coast later on Monday after offloading nearly 60 tons of what it called “dangerous cargo.”
The Russian ship Chariot initially made its way to the Greek Cypriot port of Limassol last Tuesday after running low on fuel because of rough seas. Its arrival at the EU member country meant the vessel would be subject to the embargo the bloc imposed to protest Syria's crackdown on the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

But Greek Cypriot authorities allowed it to leave Wednesday after the ship's owners, St. Petersburg-based Westberg Ltd., said it would head to Turkey instead of Syria.

The ship then vanished off radar screens after apparently switching off its Automatic Identification System, or AIS, that enables the vessel to be tracked. Turkey, citing navy intelligence, said the ship made its way to Tartus after leaving Greek Cyprus.

Turkish officials said Saturday that the Russian ship anchored off the port of İskenderun. Foreign Ministry spokesman Selçuk Ünal told Today's Zaman that Turkish coast guard and customs officials had inspected the Chariot while at anchor off the İskenderun port before allowing it to dock at the port.

Ünal said it was clear that 59,422 tons of the “dangerous cargo” the St. Vincent and Grenadines-flagged ship had been offloaded at Tartus, but that the rest of what was offloaded was general cargo. It was not immediately clear what kind of munitions the Russian ship had delivered to Syria.

Greek Cypriot customs officials inspecting the vessel last week found that it was carrying “dangerous cargo” inside four containers that Cypriot Finance Minister Kikis Kazamias said was of a type that necessitated its seizure under EU embargo rules.

A Greek Cypriot official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told The Associated Press that the containers carried a shipment of bullets.

2012-01-16

todayszaman.com *

 

[TrMhMt]

Yesterday i have watched a dozen of videos from Syria. Syrian forces were killing civilians in cold blood. One of that videos was really horrible. They just killed a boy who was 13-15 years old.

WTF is Assad doing his own people? Sad very very sad indeed.

 

[RedBeard]

They are all terrorist according to tyrant regime

 

[FriendOfPakistan]

Good job, Russia

 

[RedBeard]

Since they already ship those weapons to your puppets in Syria why dont they also deliver some S-300's you paid for?

 

[FriendOfPakistan]

Whose puppet ? I am not a puppeteer Send a letter to Khamenei

As for Syria, a recent poll by Qatar Aljazeera (not exactly friendly to Syria) showed that 55% of Syrians don't want regime change. The will of a majority of the people of Syria is to combat the insurgency, so I am sure they appreciate Russia's help.

Besides, what would be the advantage of becoming an Israeli or Turkish puppet ?

Since they already ship those weapons to your puppets in Syria why dont they also deliver some S-300's you paid for?

 

[ptldM3]

Yesterday i have watched a dozen of videos from Syria. Syrian forces were killing civilians in cold blood. One of that videos was really horrible. They just killed a boy who was 13-15 years old.

WTF is Assad doing his own people? Sad very very sad indeed.

So those terrorist Syrian soldiers surving their country can not defend themselves when they are shot at? Great logic. And as much as Turkey likes meddeling in other's afairs Syria is none of Turkey's concern.

 

[RedBeard]

Whose puppet ? I am not a puppeteer Send a letter to Khamenei

As for Syria, a recent poll by Qatar Aljazeera (not exactly friendly to Syria) showed that 55% of Syrians don't want regime change. The will of a majority of the people of Syria is to combat the insurgency, so I am sure they appreciate Russia's help.

Besides, what would be the advantage of becoming an Israeli or Turkish puppet ?

I don't believe that, and i don't think you are seriously believing neither but lets assume it's true, so what will be your point? Are you trying to say that because the regime supporters represents 55% that you can opress, persecute and massacre them however you like it???

 

[ptldM3]

I don't believe that, and i don't think you are seriously believing neither but lets assume it's true, so what will be your point? Are you trying to say that because the regime supporters represents 55% that you can opress, persecute and massacre them however you like it???

I do not know how well you keep track of the news but many of those so called civilians are armed. Once you take up arms you are fair game. A combatant an enemy of the state.

Why don't you try to get some assault rifles and overthrow the Turkish Government---you will be shot.

 

[FriendOfPakistan]

I don't believe that

Believe it or not, it's 55%:
Asia Times Online :: A mistaken case for Syrian regime change

The Muslim News

poll commissioned by the Qatar Foundation [20] showed last week that 55% of Syrians do not want Assad to resign and 68% of Syrians disapprove of the Arab League sanctions imposed on their country.

Are you trying to say that because the regime supporters represents 55% that you can opress, persecute and massacre them however you like it???

No, there should be a peaceful resolution of the crisis, and a freer atmosphere, ideally speaking. But all the enemies of Syria are cheering, arming, propagandazing for the rebels, what choice do they have if they want to preserve their independence ? Since external countries are arming rebels, the government can legitimately combat it as a foreign-mercenary force bent on bringing down the state and installing a puppet regime to act as proxy for those external powers.

 

[RedBeard]

So those terrorist Syrian soldiers surving their country can not defend themselves when they are shot at? Great logic. And as much as Turkey likes meddeling in other's afairs Syria is none of Turkey's concern.

So It's not our but your concern because you are dealing with a cruel, tyrant, corrupt, bloody dictator i guess? And over some naval base?

We are with the people, only and only due to this fact alone, we have more right aswell as more reason then you!

 

[ptldM3]

So It's not our but your concern because you are dealing with a cruel, tyrant, corrupt, bloody dictator!

We are with the people, only and only due to this fact alone, we have more reason then you!

Did you forget how the Kurds get bombed?

 

[RedBeard]

I don't care about all the things you write to me, important fact is his father did the same thing in the past and slaughtered 40000 sunnis, this time his son thinks he can do it one more time again and get away with it. That's it! Rest doesnt matter. I dont care about US or Russia naval bast blah blah even shia sunnah this is tyranny vs opressed poor! And i'm with the ppoor that's it!

 

[FriendOfPakistan]

The only evidence is that the ship carries bullets is an anonymous Greek Cypriot

Syria can manufacture its own bullets and munitions, this is ridiculous. I mean would they be waiting for Russia to deliver munitions if they were fighting Israel ?


One has to be naive to believe such stories. Surely the ship carried something much more valuable, perhaps several batteries of S-300 ?

A Greek Cypriot official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told The Associated Press that the containers carried a shipment of bullets.

2012-01-16

todayszaman.com *

 

[RedBeard]

Did you forget how the Kurds get bombed?

What about them?

I'm half Kurdish why don't they never bomb me or my family?

The ones that are getting bombed are clearly just terrorists!