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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 000058 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR, NEA, ISN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2018 
TAGS: PARM PREL MNUC IR SY CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS WASHING HANDS OF M/V MONCHEGORSK? 
 
REF: A. STATE 5968 
     ¶B. EUR/SE-EMBASSY O-I OF JANUARY 26 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Frank C. Urbancic, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1.  (S) SUMMARY:  It is becoming evident that the Republic of 
Cyprus, likely fearing Cyprus Problem-related "reprisals" 
from Damascus, hopes to avoid having to interdict and/or 
divert to an RoC port the M/V Monchegorsk, a Cypriot-flagged, 
Russian-owned ocean freighter carrying arms from Iran to 
Syria in contravention of UN Security Council Resolutions 
1747 and 1803 (Ref A).  Presidential Diplomatic Coordinator 
Leonidas Pantelides informed the Ambassador at 1215 hrs local 
(0515 DC) on January 27 that Cyprus had requested the ship's 
owner to radio the master to divert to Limassol, but as yet 
had received no response.  "This is all that we can do," 
Pantelides insisted.  At its present speed and direction, the 
Monchegorsk will reach Syria by 2330 Zulu January 27.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Current Status of Vessel, Shipping Company: 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (S) U.S. Navy sources told the Embassy that the 
Monchegorsk, at its current heading and 11-knot speed, should 
reach Latakeia, Syria, its final destination, by 2330 hrs 
Zulu January 27.  NSA contacts report the ship has not 
received or transmitted radio messages recently (NFI). 
Embassy interlocutors at the Cyprus Shipping Chamber report 
that NB Shipping Limited, a Limassol company still listed as 
the registered owner of the Monchegorsk, recently came close 
to losing its right to fly the Cyprus flag for unrelated 
non-compliance with national maritime standards. 
 
------------------------------------- 
High-level Local Diplomatic Activity: 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (S) In last 24 hours, the Embassy has engaged chief 
Palace diplomat Pantelides (three times), Presidential 
Commissioner/chief Cyprus Problem negotiator George Iacovou, 
and MFA Permanent Secretary (D-equivalent) Nicolas Emiliou, 
drawing liberally on the legal arguments provided in Ref B 
(these calls were in addition to the direct demarche the 
Ambassador had made to RoC President Demetris Christofias on 
January 23).  Pantelides at 1100 hrs on January 27 confirmed 
that a recall of the Monchegorsk to Limassol had been issued, 
but no response had yet been received.  Under the Cypriot 
standard operating procedure, the Merchant Shipping 
Department had notified the owners, who were ultimately 
responsible for making the ship pull into port -- there was 
no direct RoC contact with the ship (an Embassy contact in 
the shipping industry later confirmed the SOP).  The 
Ambassador emphasized the obligations of Cyprus as the flag 
state to take action, and noted Washington's 
highest-possible-level interest.  Pantelides seemingly hoped 
to keep the Monchegorsk out of United Nations Security 
Council discussions, and queried whether the Monchegorsk 
issue was already under consideration in New York. 
 
¶4.  (S) In a 1215 hrs follow-up telcon, Pantelides referred 
back to Ref B points and stated his government had "done what 
it needed to do" in alerting the Monchegorsk's owner; he 
subsequently faxed us text from the RoC instruction (below). 
 The Ambassador asked whether Cyprus could use the assistance 
of the United States in contacting the ship directly to make 
Cyprus's instructions known to the captain, or otherwise 
provide additional help.  Pantelides deflected both 
questions, making clear the RoC did not want the U.S. 
involved.  "The Monchegorsk is already half-way there," he 
ended, somewhat cryptically. 
 
¶5.  (S) Text of the RoC message follows.  The fax was not on 
letterhead, lacked sender and receiver names, titles, and 
addresses, and featured visible cut-and-paste marks.  It was 
obviously just a short excerpt from the notification letter. 
 
"Dear Captain Smirnov 

The reason that we ask you to direct the ship to Limassol is 
to ensure that its cargo is in conformity with UN Security 
Council Resolutions 1747 (2007) and 1803 (2008). 
 
Any cargo which is not in conformity has to be unloaded at 
Limassol in order to avoid infringement of the above 
Resolutions and violation of the Cyprus Ships (Prohibition of 
Transportation) Laws 1966-1971 (Law 26/66 as amended). 
 
------------------ 
Why the Cold Feet? 
------------------ 
 
¶6.  (C) COMMENT:  Greek Cypriots learn Security Council 
resolutions like others learn their ABCs -- early and by 
heart.  No country pays more lip service to their status at 
the top of the international pyramid.  Why, then, the seeming 
disregard for RoC obligations under 1747 and 1803?  Contacts 
ranging from President Christofias to worker bees at the MFA 
informed us that Cyprus's 2006 decision to interdict the M/V 
Gregorio, a vessel carrying missile radar equipment from 
North Korea to Syria, had caused grave damage to its 
bilateral relations with Damascus.  The Syrians had responded 
by green-lighting regular ferry service between Latakeia and 
the "occupied" port of Famagusta in the "Turkish Republic of 
Northern Cyprus."  Highest-level RoC entreaties have failed 
to compel Damascus to end the sea link, one of the few clear 
diplomatic blows the Cypriots have taken recently.  They 
worry that further government action against the Monchegorsk 
might provoke Damascus to take further steps to "upgrade" the 
"TRNC." 
Urbancic