The only two news sources in Egypt speaking about the matter are : Al Shorouk newspaper “Ar” and Ahram Gate “Ar” that mentioned the names of Chinese warships according to a security official source in Suez Canal authority. Of course in Egypt now you can not trust any source what so ever.
This news created an uproar and anger among Syrians and Egyptians alike. Syrians are angry on how Egypt is betraying them and Egyptians are angry from Morsi on how he betrayed them and let the warships pass cursing him and SCAF as well MB alike. The MB divided on two section : One section justifying the decision saying that Morsi can not break international treaties “Despite during the Iraq invasion , MB said Mubarak should break the treaties” and the other section was angry from Morsi cursing him.
The climax of the MB anger when the Freedom and Justice Party and Muslim brotherhood issued a statement against the decision saying Suez canal and Egyptian economy to hell if it were on the expense of our Syrian brothers. “Nasser would be happy to see that the MB is keeping his legacy of using big words alive”
Now despite I am in vacation trying to keep myself away from politics , I could not keep myself from searching about the truth. I could not find any single international source speaking about Chinese warships heading to Syria . I know that China could not move single warship that far to the Mediterranean without catching the attention. The only thing I found about Chinese navy suspicious movements in South China disputed area with the Philippines. “ More from AFP”
Still luckily in Ahram Gate report the names of the Chinese warships were mentioned “two of them were actually misspelled and one was correct” , thus I traced them. It turns out that destroyer “Qingdao” accompanied frigate “Yantai” and comprehensive supply ship “Weishanhu” in Chinese naval escort flotilla “11th taskforce” that departed from the city of Qingdao in China to secure and escort 6 merchant ships from China , Singapore , Norway , South Korea and Portugal through the Gulf of Aden and nearby stretches of Indian oceans.
As you know the Somali pirates have won notorious repetition that NATO countries , China, Russia , Japan and India are having military vessels patrolling that huge area of Indian ocean. This is the 11th time China participate in escorting the merchant vessels. Now it was easy to track them for awhile. On July 1,2012 the Chinese warships flotilla headed by “Qingdao” reached the port of Salalah in Oman which was the 4th and last round of in port rest and replenishment in that taskforce.
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| The 12th Chinese Naval escort force |
On July 17th,2012 the commander of the 11th Chinese naval escort force met with EU counterpart in the western waters of the Gulf of Aden. On July 18th ,2012 the Chinese naval taskforces liberated a crew of a Taiwanese trawler held for nearly 19 months by Somali pirates and were taken to Chinese naval vessel.
On July 27th,2012 the Chinese 11th Naval taskforce crossed Suez canal in its way to visit both Ukraine and Romania . These are from official Chinese sources. We know when it comes to warfare and politics , official sources should be taken cautiously but this is just a small attempt to find the truth. I am praying to God that fleet would be only visiting Ukraine and Romania. Already Ukraine is now considered a wheat source instead of the States for China. “Interesting fact”
Now it was also spread that that these vessels were heading to participate in joint exercise with Syria,Iran,Russia in Syria. The only source online about joint exercise is none other than FARS news agency which fabricated interviews with Morsi before.I can not trust FARS news agency. Already I do not know what kind of joint exercise these countries will allegedly have in Syria when El Assad is losing his control in Aleppo day after day !!
In Russian Pravda the Russian Defense ministry officials denied the reports claiming that there will be Syrian-Iranian-Chinese-Russian maneuvers despite the huge departure of Russian Navy warships to Syrian coastline earlier this month. You should read that Pravda piece. “Yes it is the PRAVDA”
From amateur military point of view , I do not know how these warships will save El Assad when his army is having house to house guerilla warfare on the ground in Syria !! Of course the worst case scenario if these warships are heading to Syria for real is to supply El Assad and his army but again are not air transportation is much faster to save his evil ass !!?? Organized armies can not stand a guerilla warfare in towns , a lesson well known to everybody.
Anyhow what we are witnessing now in Syria is no longer a revolution but rather international world power class one fight using regional conflicts in a very explicit way with no respect to blood or human loses.
Strangely the National Syrian Council “NSC” will continue its talks in Cairo to form a transitional government next Tuesday. Hopefully they will reach to something serious this time.
Now speaking from legal perspective Egypt can stop any ship passing regardless of its nationality except in the case of war between Egypt and country where that ship belongs to through the Suez canal because of the Convention of Constantinople. Still if Egypt suspects that the cargo in those ships will be used in genocides , it can use a legal exist represented in one of the UN charters about Naval transportation and having the right to stop the advance of vessels if carrying arms used in aggression and conflict. I do not remember the charter but the international law experts may know it better than me.
Anyhow I am praying that these Chinese warships are visiting Ukraine and Romania for real and get the hell out of the Mediterranean without passing by Syria. No Egyptian will accept that Syrians will be harmed because of the canal.
