The Dutch navy was involved in the international effort to stop a potential weapons delivery to Syria, according to caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Uri Rosenthal.
The British Minister of Foreign Affairs William Hague says the ship in question, the MV Alaed, is on its way back to Russia. There are indications that the ship is loaded with weapons, including attack helicopters. It does not appear that the MV Alaed sailed into Dutch waters but Minister Rosenthal says the Netherlands played its role in the EU weapons embargo against the Syrian regime.
The MV Alaed is registered on Curaçao, one of the countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Via authorities on Curaçao, an attempt was made to inspect the ship. The crew did not submit to the request for inspection and the MV Alaed subsequently disappeared from radar, after the signaling system was turned off. “This led the insurance company to revoke the ship’s coverage,” according to Rosenthal.
There is no international weapons embargo against the Syrian regime,
which means Russia is allowed to sell weapons to Syria. But the EU has
implemented a weapons embargo, which prohibits insurance companies from
providing coverage for ships carrying weapons to Syria. Uninsured ships
are not allowed to enter most ports, which means they must either
continue sailing in international waters or return to the port from
which they departed.
Read more: Dutch help block weapons delivery to Syria | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
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