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The search for a Turkish ship near Libya causes much dispute between Germany and Turkey. The EU Commission agrees with Ankara’s argument.
By Helga Schmidt, ARD-Studio Brussels
Turkey’s preventing Bundeswehr soldiers from searching a suspicious ship has drawn harsh criticism from members of the Bundestag in Berlin. On the contrary, the EU Commission in Brussels supports the Turkish government’s approach. Countries under whose flag a suspicious ship sails have the right to avoid control, said Commission spokesman Peter Stano.
The Turkish freighter “Rosaline A” was stopped by the German frigate “Hamburg” about 200 kilometers north of the Libyan city of Benghazi on Sunday. The reason: weapons were suspected on board the Turkish ship. The Bundeswehr is tasked with preventing arms smuggling into Libya’s war zone as part of the EU’s IRINI mission.
A few hours after the German soldiers boarded the ship, Turkey protested. “Operation IRINI makes a request for control. And if the country responsible for the ship does not agree, the control cannot be carried out,” explained Stano. The incident will then be reported to the United Nations.
Bundeswehr: Turkey knew of a search
The Bundeswehr views the process differently. Turkey had been informed of the plans for the search, the dpa news agency quotes the operational command in Potsdam. Since Ankara had not responded for four hours, this was interpreted as tacit consent to the German boarding in accordance with the operating rules. It is not yet clear whether the Turkish ship had loaded weapons. It is said in the Turkish state media that there are only relief supplies on board.
The incident in the Mediterranean raises the question of the meaning of gun controls if suspect governments can prevent them. The scandal in the Mediterranean was predictable, criticizes the Green MEP and security expert Hannah Neumann:
“Until now, the EU has always kept away from me in Defense Committee meetings that searches against the will of the flag-bearing state were not possible. This has led to many escapes about the usefulness or futility of this mission. “.
Fragile ceasefire in Libya
Turkey has been assisting government troops in Libya for years. His opponent, General Khalifa Haftar, has the support of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. By the end of October, the parties to the conflict had concluded a ceasefire; compliance is deemed futile if military equipment continues to be delivered to the North African state.
“Regarding the implementation of the arms embargo, it is important that the searches are carried out even against the will of the state that carries the flag,” demands MEP Neumann. That should be cleared up now promptly.
Greek officer gave orders
Questions also arose following the scandal with the leadership of the EU operation IRINI. The line was with a Greek commander. He gave the boarding order to the Armed Forces. Greece and Turkey are in an ongoing conflict over gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the two governments are fighting each other. The appointment of a Greek commander to the mission could further fuel the conflict.
