CYPRUS’ Foreign Affairs Minister, Marcos Kyprianou, was in Israel yesterday to discuss increasing aid to Gaza, as the last of ‘freedom flotilla’ ships is expected to deliver essential construction and school materials this morning.
The diplomatic meeting is part of an initiative by President Demetris Christofias, together with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, to investigate ways of increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, after he was widely criticised for banning activists from leaving Cyprus to join last weeks’ flotilla.
Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the Foreign Minister Kyprianou, as a presidential envoy, was in Israel within a framework of meetings with countries of the Middle East.
Kyprianou has already met with Israeli Minister of Defence Ehud Barak and was scheduled to meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman. He will meet with representatives of the Palestinian Authority today.
The meetings are coinciding with the journey of the last ship of the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, which was 150 miles away from Gaza, in international waters, yesterday afternoon, and on course to deliver its 1,200-tonne cargo this morning.
The journey has been far from plain sailing, however, and the crew was keen to dismiss Israeli press reports that the boat had turned around or caved into pressure to divert to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
They issued a joint statement yesterday saying: “Communication is difficult and sometimes impossible and there are many rumors out there started by Israeli authorities, but there is no way we are going to Ashdod. We are, for sure, on our way to Gaza.”
In response to the threat of sabotage by Israeli operatives, who admitted undertaking “covert action” to stymie two flotilla ships, Challenger I and Challenger II this week, the Rachel Corrie has picked up a number of high profile people and international journalists.
These include Mairead Maguire, Northern Irish Nobel Peace Laureate, Former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday and Matthias Chang Wen Chieh, former political Secretary to the Malaysian Prime Minister.
The ship’s journey will be televised by a three man camera crew Malaysia TV3 and journalist Shamsul Akmar bin Musa Kamal.
Maguire was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace in Northern Ireland. She went the second successful voyage for the Free Gaza Movement and was on board ‘Spirit’ when Israel hijacked the Boat in International Waters last week, taking all 2l passengers to Israel, where they were arrested, imprisoned and then deported.
Denis Halliday served as Head of a UN humanitarian program in Iraq to support the Iraqi people. He has delivered numerous parliamentary briefings, provided extensive media inputs and has given public/university lectures on Iraq, human rights, and UN reform.
The ship is carrying construction materials, 20 tonnes of paper and other essential supplies that Israel refuses to allow into Gaza.
