Russian warships to visit Libya
Bangkok, Thursday, AP
RUSSIA: A group of Russian warships will stop in Libya next
week before moving on to joint exercises with Venezuela and an
anti-piracy mission off Somalia, a navy spokesman said Wednesday.
"The ships of the Russian Northern Fleet and the frigate Fearless are
going to stop in Tripoli to obtain supplies from October 11 to 13," navy
spokesman Igor Dygalo told AFP.
The Northern Fleet ships, led by the massive nuclear-powered missile
cruiser Peter the Great, will "fulfil several tasks in the Mediterranean
Sea" before moving on to the Caribbean, Dygalo said, without giving
further details.
Meanwhile the Fearless is headed to the coast off Somalia "to ensure
the security of Russian vessels" in pirate-infested waters, a mission it
was sent on after Somali pirates seized a Ukrainian cargo ship last
month, Dygalo said.
On Sunday, the spokesman told Interfax news agency that the Northern
Fleet ships had crossed through the Gibraltar Straits and would call at
several Mediterranean ports before setting sail for Venezuela.
Russian media have speculated that the warships might stop in Syria,
a former Cold War ally of Moscow.
The Russian warships, which include the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko
and escorting ships, are expected to arrive in Venezuela in late
November at the invitation of the country's leftist firebrand president,
Hugo Chavez.
Once there, they are scheduled to take part in joint exercises with
the Venezuelan navy near US waters, something which has not been done
since the Cold War.
Moscow, Thursday, AFP
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