Updated on
Summary
The United Nations has stepped in to get its contracted ship, which is under Indias detention, released so that it can resume its mission to Pakistan to return decommissioned weaponry from a UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia at Karachi. UN officials expressed surprise and irritation over Indias action, saying the cargo was being shipped under the authority of the world body. The MV Aegean Glory, a 500-foot-long Panama-registered ship, was seized by Indian customs authorities on Friday 50 kilometres south of Kolkata, claiming suspicious military cargo. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and field support is working closely with Indian authorities to ensure the release of the cargo and to review the procedures that caused the confusion, UN Associate Spokesman said. All cargo on board has UN markings and is being shipped under the authority of the United Nations, he added. The spokesman said the ships cargo included surplus Pakistani and Bangladeshi military equipment and Nepalese vehicles belonging to UN peacekeeping troops. The cargo was being returned upon completion of their deployment in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), he said. According to press reports, the Pakistan Foreign Office strongly objected to the detention of the ship, saying the Indian government never informed them about its seizure. The UN had sent 15,000 troops into Liberia in 2003 after 14 years of civil war that claimed roughly 270,000 lives. In April, UNMIL began scaling back its presence after a UN and government assessment in 2007 that the country was gradually moving towards peace and stability.
