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Two Iranian Warships to Pass Through Suez Canal Tuesday

   VOA News  February 21, 2011
   Cargo ships traversing the Suez Canal (file photo)

Photo: AP

   Cargo ships traversing the Suez Canal (file photo)

   Two  Iranian  naval  vessels are expected to pass through Egypt's Suez
   Canal into the Mediterranean on Tuesday.
   The  ships  had  been  scheduled  to enter the canal on Monday but the
   passage was delayed for unexplained reasons.
   The vessels, a frigate and a supply ship, are heading to Syria on what
   is  said to be a training mission. The passage would be the first time
   Iranian  warships  have  passed  through the Suez Canal since the 1979
   Islamic revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran.
   Egypt's new military rulers approved the transit of the two vessels on
   Friday, despite decades of strained relations with Iran.
   Israel  considers  the  passage  a provocation. Israeli Prime Minister
   Benjamin  Netanyahu  accuses  Iran  of taking advantage of the current
   instability  in  the  Middle  East  to expand its influence by sending
   ships through the canal.
   Once  in  the  Mediterranean  the  Iranian vessels are not expected to
   enter Israeli territorial waters.
   The Convention of Constantinople, signed in 1888, guarantees the right
   of  passage  through  the  canal for all seagoing vessels, military or
   civilian, at all times.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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