E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Egypt says French ship can cross Suez Canal
CAIRO - An official from Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority denied a French aircraft carrier heading to a scrap yard in India would be prevented from crossing the waterway, Egypt’s official news agency reported on Thursday.

The comment came after another official told Reuters the vessel would not be able to cross the canal because it was leaking toxic waste. “An official source at the Suez Canal Authority denied reports that Egypt had not allowed a French aircraft carrier to cross the Suez Canal today on its way to India,” the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

The report made no mention of toxic waste. The French Defence Ministry said there was no leak coming from the ship.

The decommissioned Clemenceau set sail from France in December for the massive Alang ship-breaking yard in Gujarat. Earlier this month, the French Defence Ministry said the Clemenceau was still in the Mediterranean and would take two months to reach India.

MENA quoted the official as saying Egypt had not prevented the crossing but required ships bearing scrap to fulfill internationally agreed conditions to safeguard the environment. The official who previously said the ship would not be allowed to cross the Suez Canal had said the decision was taken after Egypt’s environmental agency said the vessel could harm the canal’s environment and the Egyptian coastline.
Greenpeace has been behind this: I'm waiting for a final airstrike by the Clemenceau on a Greenpeace trawler.
Environmental group Greenpeace has also urged Paris and New Delhi not to allow the Clemenceau to reach the scrap yard without first being 98 percent decontaminated in France.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-01-13
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=139680