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| Sudan 'arms ship' allowed to leave Cyprus waters (AFP) – 8 hours ago NICOSIA — Cyprus said on Friday that a cargo ship detained since June 11 could continue its journey to Sudan as the explosives and tanks on board were not in contravention of UN sanctions. The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged "Santiago", which was bound for Sudan and Singapore, has been anchored off the southern city of Limassol under police guard with a suspected military cargo that would contravene a 2004 UN embargo on arms sales and deliveries to Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides told reporters that after a thorough check of the ship's papers everything was in order and above board. "We have issued an export permit for the military equipment to Singapore and also permitted the export to Sudan of explosives loaded on the same boat." He said that Cyprus, as an EU member, had an "obligation and responsibility" in following the correct procedures to ensure the ship's documentation was genuine. Cyprus police said the Santiago would be on its way once it has refuelled. The decision to free the vessel comes after Sudan said the cargo ship seized by Cyprus has explosives on board for a gold mining firm. "The boat contains explosives destined for Port Sudan, for mining firm Ariab which needs them to work a gold mine," Abdelbaqi al-Gilani, Sudan's minister responsible for mining, told AFP on Wednesday. "Sudan has been importing explosives since the early 1990s to work this gold mine, and has never had any problems in the past. It's the first time this has happened. It's absurd," al-Gilani said. Cypriot officials examined the vessel after US authorities alerted them that it was carrying a large amount of explosives bound for Sudan, as well as tanks for Singapore, Phileleftheros newspaper reported. The paper said there were over 250 tonnes of explosives on the cargo ship and at least a dozen Leopard tanks. The United Nations says 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes in the Darfur conflict since 2003. Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000. |