Lebanese 'womens' ship cleared to sail to Cyprus
The French ship Mariam, now renamed Julia, which plans to bring female 'activists' to Gaza, has now been cleared to sail to Cyprus. The Lebanese government would not clear the ship to sail directly to Gaza as that would violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (please don't ask since when Lebanon is concerned about such things - I've been wondering about that myself). But they did clear it to sail to Cyprus. I'm not sure why they expect Cyprus to clear them to sail directly to Gaza. But they're going there anyway. Lebanon has given permission for another flotilla to leave Tripoli for Gaza, according to a Beirut minister quoted by an-Nahar Monday morning.Don't these people have jobs? Or is this meant to be fodder for What I did on my summer vacation?
Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said the ship named Julia is now docked at the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli and can set sail once it is cleared by port authorities there. He said the ship would be allowed to sail to Cyprus and not directly to Gaza in order to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities by both Lebanon and Israel and forbids any paramilitary activity south of the Litani River.
Aridi said the voyage of the ship, the French-registered Julia, would not violate the terms of the cease-fire resolution. To clear the confusion over the latest Gaza flotilla initiative, Aridi added that while the ship was named Julia, the voyage itself was named Mariam.
He stressed that Lebanon’s government would take full responsibility over the ship’s course, its cargo and the female activists – both foreign and Lebanese – on board.
Israeli UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev warned Friday that the attempt by the organizers to sail from Lebanon and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza could escalate tensions and affect peace and security in the region. She cited in particular the ships' departure from Lebanon which "remains in a state of hostility with Israel." She also cited "a possible link" between the organizers and the Shiite Muslim Hizbullah group.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:07 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Carl.
Yes a bit strange reaction from Tripoly ,but today Tony Blair is also saying that "Aid Flotilla's are not needed"and he is the good friend & advisor of Col Khadafi.
Its not really about Gaza. Its really about Israel. These people want to eliminate what is left of the blockade. Can Netanyahu stand up to them? I doubt it.
What could go wrong indeed
Post a Comment
<< Home