The Iranian ship
Photo: AP
Israel asks Cyprus to unload arms from Iranian ship
For several days now Cypriot authorities have been detaining the Gaza-bound vessel on the suspicion it is trying to transport arms to Hamas in violation of UN resolutions, Foreign Minister Livni urges counterpart Kyprianou to unload weaponry found on board while latter orders repeat search of the ship
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke with Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou by telephone on Saturday, and asked him to unload the weaponry found aboard the Iranian vessel docked at Limassol port and apparently intended for the Gaza Strip.
Shipment to Hamas?
Cypriot president: Vessel's cargo appears to violate Security Council resolutions
On Friday Cyprus ordered its security forces to begin searching the ship, which sails under a Cypriot flag. It was detained Thursday at the request of the United States and Israel.
Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias confirmed the authorities had detained the ship and said without qualification that the ship had violated UN resolutions.
"We are handling this situation in a responsible manner and I cannot make comments which could ... cause more problems," Christofias told reporters. "We are investigating to see what it is carrying."
Foreign Minister Kyprianou stressed on Saturday that the teams were still trying to establish whether the cargo the Iranian ship is carrying is in violation of UN resolutions.
Kyprianou said that his country's security forces would conduct a repeat search of the ship, but refused to divulge any details about the ship's cargo.
"This is a very serious matter concerning the Cyprus Republic's responsibilities as a member of the United Nations and the European Union, but also its relations with the international community," Kyprianou told state radio.
He urged patience "for a few days," saying disclosure of information would hinder the government's handling of the issue.
Earlier this week, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said the US army was restrained from detaining Iranian arms shipment to Gaza due to legal limitations, and that a more decisive UN resolution was required in order to permit such arrests.
He told a press conference in Washington that the same ship had been making its way towards Syria last week, from where it would travel to Gaza. He said the US Navy had searched the ship at the entrance to the Suez Canal at the captain's permission and ascertained that there were weapons on board
