#6 Defiant Libya ship resumes course, 'destination Gaza'
JERUSALEM (AFP) – A Libyan aid ship resumed its voyage on Wednesday after stalling overnight, with the organisers insisting it was on course for Gaza and defying calls by the Israeli navy to dock in Egypt.
But it was not clear if the freighter was actually heading for the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, or whether it was instead going to El-Arish, an Egyptian port some 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the west. "It's moving and getting closer to El-Arish," a military spokesman told AFP, without specifying exactly where it was. "We are preparing for a scenario in which it tries to redirect and go to Gaza."
Maritime tracking websites showed the Amalthea cargo ship moving very slowly just off the Egyptian coast, about 15 nautical miles from El-Arish. And a senior Egypt official said that the Amalthea had requested permission to dock there. "Egypt has agreed to a request from the Libyan aid boat to drop anchor at the port of El-Arish instead of at the port in Gaza," he told the official MENA news agency, without saying when the request was made.
But the Libyan charity which chartered the Amalthea insisted the boat was still heading for Gaza. "The ship has resumed its journey but the going is difficult," Yussef Sawan, head of the Kadhafi Foundation, told AFP. "Israeli naval boats are trying to block its course and divert it from the Gaza coast," he said, adding that the boat was "about three hours from Gaza."
Sawan said the Israelis had given the boat the choice of either turning back or heading to El-Arish. "If not, they have threatened to resort to force."
The foundation said four warships were on either side of the vessel, "trying to force it to change destination."
Shortly after the vessel began moving, Israeli public radio, which is monitoring the exchanges between the navy and the crew, reported that the ship's Cuban captain was ignoring repeated calls in English and Spanish to state his destination.
The Amalthea developed engine trouble overnight and stalled at a spot in international waters 60 nautical miles from El-Arish and 80 from Gaza, the military said.
Public radio said the Israeli boats were within sight of the vessel, and were contacting the captain with questions every time there was suspicious movement on deck.
The ship, which is carrying a cargo of 2,000 tonnes of foodstuffs and medicine, has been charted by a charity run by Seif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Speaking to the Maariv daily, a senior military official said naval forces were not expecting any problems from those on board but they were prepared to respond if it became necessary. "We do not expect any resistance," he said. "But if our soldiers do encounter problems, they will not hesitate to use force." |
Ay-Pee . . .