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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran denies cancellation: Warships to cross Suez Canal |
| 2011-02-18 |
| [Jerusalem Post Front Page] Iran plans to cross the Suez Canal, despite reports to the contrary, Press TV reported on Thursday. The Iranian news station also said that "Egyptian authorities believed there was nothing wrong with the passage." Earlier on Thursday, a senior Suez Canal official said two Iranian warships had withdrawn their application to transit the waterway following expressions of concern by Israel over the plans. The official said no reason was given for Thursday's decision to withdraw the application. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, also said it was not known if the vessels intended to transit the waterway at a later date. The official identified the two vessels as Alvand, a frigate, and Kharq, a supply ship, and said they were en route to Syria. He said they were now in an area near the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jiddah. Egypt's official MENA news agency, however, quoted Ahmed al-Manakhly, a senior Suez Canal official, as denying that the waterway's management had received any requests by Iranian warships to transit the canal. Vessels intending to transit the Suez Canal, which links the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, must give the waterway's authority at least 24-hour notice before entering the canal.Only ships that don't meet safety requirements are banned from using the canal. In the case of warships, a clearance from the Egyptian defense and foreign ministries is required in advance, but is rarely withheld. The Israel Navy said on Wednesday that it was tracking two Iranian warships as they were set to make a rare crossing of the Suez Canal. Defense officials said Israel would monitor the ships, although their presence in the sea would not change anything for the navy's operational deployment. "It is strange for the Iranian Navy to use the Suez Canal since it really doesn't have anything to do in the Mediterranean Sea," one official said. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the planned transit of the canal by the ships a "provocation that proves that the overconfidence of the Iranians is growing from day to day." Speaking at a meeting in Jerusalem of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Lieberman lashed out at the international community, which he said was not doing enough to confront Iranian provocations. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Iran gets OK from Egypt |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-02-18 12:36 |
| #2 "Fine. Then you'll have no objection to having us inspect those ships prior to passage, will you?" |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-02-18 11:12 |
| #1 "Egyptian armed forces have received a request through the Egyptian Foreign Ministry from the Islamic Republic of Iran's affairs office in Cairo requesting the passage of two Iranian warships," according to a statement given to Reuters by an army source. "The request said the ships do not carry any military equipment, nuclear or chemical contents. The Defence Ministry is currently studying the request," |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-02-18 09:35 |