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OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV
DE RUEHNC #0073 0281339
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O 281339Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9564
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV IMMEDIATE 6459
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE 0283
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS IMMEDIATE 2128
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1334

S E C R E T NICOSIA 000073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR P, EUR, NEA, ISN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2019 
TAGS: PARM PREL MNUC SY IR CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS:  M/V MONCHEGORSK STILL LOITERING OFF 
LARNACA 
 
REF: A. NICOSIA 58 
     ¶B. ANKARA 3 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Frank C. Urbancic, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1.  (S) Ship status:  U.S. Navy sources report at 1500 hrs 
local (0800 hrs DC) that the M/V Monchegorsk is holding 
position some 60 nautical miles southeast of Larnaca. 
 
¶2.  (C) Diplomatic activity since last update (Ref A): 
Following EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried's telephone 
call to RoC Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou, RoC 
Diplomatic Coordinator Leonidas Pantelides telephoned the 
Ambassador at 1845 hrs January 27 to inform that the 
Monchegorsk was no longer steaming toward Latakeia, Syria, 
but rather was loitering 60 miles from Larnaca, awaiting 
further instructions. 
 
¶3.  (C) At 1000 hrs January 28, the Ambassador telephoned 
Pantelides for an update, learning that the vessel had not 
moved overnight.  The parties to the incident "were speaking 
through their lawyers," the RoC diplomat noted, attempting to 
determine their next steps.  Further, he had been informed 
that the ship had been told to be prepared to proceed to port 
(Note:  we have transcribed Pantelides's fuzzy, passive 
voiced language verbatim.)  The Ambassador asked Pantelides 
which port in Cyprus would receive the Monchegorsk; he 
replied that it had not yet been decided. 
 
¶4.  (C) The Ambassador highlighted recent media reporting 
that Turkey, in a similar case, had detained a suspect 
Iranian shipment allegedly heading to Venezuela (Ref B). 
Pantelides sounded intrigued and asked that we forward the 
press pieces.  Ambassador also offered to share, and 
Pantelides accepted, declassified/releasable photographs of 
the Monchegorsk's cargo taken during the USN's earlier 
boarding.  Finally, the Ambassador repeated earlier offers of 
U.S. assistance in the matter and urged Pantelides to request 
an independent cargo inspection conducted by Cypriot military 
and/or security officials, once the vessel reaches port. 
Urbancic