The U.S. navy’s "stop and search" policy doesn’t conform with international law.
DAMASCUS, Jan. 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Syria officially protested the U.S. Navy's seizure of two Syrian-flagged freighters in the Mediterranean Sea as an act of "piracy," news agencies reported Wednesday.
"The Syrian foreign ministry has summoned the charge d'affaires of the United States and has informed him of Syria's strong protest against the act of piracy carried out by ships of the American Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea," Syrian official news agency (SANA) said.
U.S. naval vessels had seized two Syrian-flagged vessels in international waters off the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the London-based Arabic daily, Al-Hayat, reported Tuesday, January 30.
The paper added that U.S. naval units have conducted timely search operations of the two Syrian freighters, 'Captain Mohammad' and 'Hajji Rahmah'.
Al-Hayat quoted a U.S. official with the American Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea as claiming that the Syrian vessels "were acting suspiciously". The official added that the two freighters have been "under surveillance for several weeks".
According to the paper, the Syrian ships showed no signs of resistance when U.S. Marines went on board to conduct the search operations. The search operations yielded "nothing suspicious", so the Americans had to leave the Syrian ships go their way.
The U.S. navy has, in recent weeks, tightened its grip in the Mediterranean waters under the pretext of searching for Al-Qaeda members fleeing from Afghanistan.
Egyptian International Law Professor, Ahmed El-Rashidy, believes the U.S. Navy act against the Syrian ships, on international waters, is a breach on international law, and "an act of maritime piracy".
El-Rashidy explained saying that it is illegal to "stop and search" vessels taking their course on international waters. He further said that the United States uses its so-called "anti-terrorism" campaign to act as "it likes", regardless of the conformity of its acts with international law.
