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Military Vessels Cross Turkish Straights
German and Spanish warships carrying aid to conflict-torn Georgia entered Istanbul's Bosporus Straits on Thursday, following Turkey’s approval for the transit of two U.S. navy ships to the Black Sea to transport humanitarian relief supplies. Two U.S. Navy ships and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter carrying humanitarian aid bound for Georgia are expected to pass through Turkey’s straits on Friday. The two U.S. Navy hospital ships - the Comfort and the Mercy - will not be involved in the humanitarian mission as their tonnage exceed the limits set by the 1936 Montreux Convention, which governs international traffic through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. Under the Convention, the total weight of the warships that countries not bordering the Black Sea can deploy was limited to 45,000 tons. U.S. State Department officials stated that Washington would abide by the Montreux Convention and that they were working with Turkey to facilitate the transport of humanitarian assistance under the rules and regulations set by the international convention. Source: Hurriyet, Zaman, Milliyet, Turkey, August 21, 2008.
Posted at: 2008-08-21
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