lennart
16-03-03, 21:51
Russian warships ready to sail off within 10 days
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) - Warships of the Black Sea and Pacific fleets are prepared to sail off to the Indian Ocean within 10 days.
"On February 27, the ships were ordered to be ready to sail within 10 days. It means that if the ships are given the order to sail they will have to be ready to carry it out within 10 days," a Navy source told Interfax on Saturday.
The order will be given as a result of "a political decision that the Russian leadership is to make," the source noted.
Asked about a prior notification of the Turkish authorities about passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelle straits, the source replied that "applications for the passage of vessels of the Black Sea Fleet through these straits are filed regularly."
The voyage was initially scheduled to begin on February 15.
However, the Defense Ministry's officials linked the date of the departure to the situation in Iraq. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Baku in February that "the dates of the voyage have not been set and will depend on different issues including the development of the situation around Iraq." No changes in the composition of the flotilla will be made, Ivanov noted. Some 10 ships and submarines are likely to sail to the Indian Ocean.
© 1991-2003 Interfax
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) - Warships of the Black Sea and Pacific fleets are prepared to sail off to the Indian Ocean within 10 days.
"On February 27, the ships were ordered to be ready to sail within 10 days. It means that if the ships are given the order to sail they will have to be ready to carry it out within 10 days," a Navy source told Interfax on Saturday.
The order will be given as a result of "a political decision that the Russian leadership is to make," the source noted.
Asked about a prior notification of the Turkish authorities about passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelle straits, the source replied that "applications for the passage of vessels of the Black Sea Fleet through these straits are filed regularly."
The voyage was initially scheduled to begin on February 15.
However, the Defense Ministry's officials linked the date of the departure to the situation in Iraq. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Baku in February that "the dates of the voyage have not been set and will depend on different issues including the development of the situation around Iraq." No changes in the composition of the flotilla will be made, Ivanov noted. Some 10 ships and submarines are likely to sail to the Indian Ocean.
© 1991-2003 Interfax