Photo: politis-news.com
The secret telegram reads that the ambassador emphasized the obligations of Cyprus as the country with which flag the ships was sailing, noting the serious interest of Washington in the situation. The U.S. ambassador asked if the Cypriot government needed the help of the U.S. Navy to contact the captain and announce the captain’s orders. The head of the Diplomatic Office rejected both the American claims and stressed that Cyprus would not like the USA to involve.
The secret telegram 09state73 also reads that the next day the ship stopped suddenly in the open at a distance of 60 nautical miles southeast of Nicosia, awaiting further orders from the Cypriot authorities.
According to secret telegram 09state7877, which bears the signature of Hillary Clinton, the U.S. diplomatic representatives in the Cypriot capital were ordered to submit to the Cypriot officials the U.S. government belief that the carriage of this cargo was probably in violation of Resolution 1747 of the UN Security Council. Furthermore, they were ordered to impose pressure on Cyprus to require the ship to berth at a Cypriot port.
The reaction of Nicosia was not late. The next day, the U.S. Embassy informed the State Department that the ship berthed at the port of Limassol. After an intense diplomatic marathon, the Cypriot government decided on February 12, 2009 to unload the containers and store them in the naval base Evangelos Florakis. According to the official announcement of the government, Cyprus informed the chairman of the penalty commission at the UN Security Council about the decision to unload and store the cargo. The cargo was carried on 13 February under strict security measures.
The containers were placed on a hill in the base without being provided with the necessary security and storage conditions. Nobody responded to the warnings the commander made, and the Minister of Defence Kostas Papakostas, who resigned yesterday, claimed that the confiscated materials were safe. He even said that they could be moved to the cities without any danger to the people.