Monday, February 24, 2014

Russia-NATO To Share Security Detail Of the Cape Ray; Suspected Illegal Weapons Transfer

By:  Marshall Ramsey II, Worthy News U.S. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (Worthy News) Russia and NATO drawing up plans for joint naval operation in the Mediterranean.  Purpose is to protect the MV Cape Ray from attack by potential hostile forces.

Originally scheduled to meet the Ark Futura, a Dutch vessel, in the Mediterranean Sea to receive a shipment of chemical weapons from them.  Plans changed, now the pick up location is Gioia Tauro, Italy.  Cape Ray current position according to last available coordinates put it between northern Mozambique and Madagascar

According to online sources, The MV Cape Ray's port of destination is Singapore, with an arrival date of March 6.  This conflicts with the destination given of Italy as the pick up and transfer location.

The fact that discussions are on-going concerning a joint military task force gives strength to an earlier report that President Obama was attempting to acquire chemical weapons from Syria for use in U.S. drone strikes.  However, with no wars going on to necessitate the use of such weapons, one can only speculate as to the intended targets.

Although many would be unwilling to admit this, it may be that the intended targets of the drone strikes are American citizens and infrastructure, given a recent story about the United States Department of Homeland Security being contracted to purchase more than 700 million rounds of ammunition of varying types over the next four years.  Indeed, it seemly likely, especially since NATO (which is headed by the United States) and Russia are in negotiations on joint security measures regarding the protection of the Cape Ray, and that it is being hailed as a good sign.

Another possibility is that Russia has purchased some of these chemical weapons supposedly being destroyed.  According to an article put out by Reuters, Russia has invested "heavily" in the "disarmament" agreement.  It almost certainly means that Russia has spent a large amount of money in acquiring these chemical, and possibly biological, weapons, and it is unlikely that such a heavy investment would be merely to destroy them.

The original date set for the transfer of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile was Feb. 6.  Due to a nearly one month delay, the new deadline for transfer of Syria chemical weapons to the United States is March 1.

“Most of the chemical weapons stockpiles, including the most toxic materials, will be evacuated from Syria by March 1,” Syria’s ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, told the Interfax news agency. “I believe we will meet the deadline," he said.

The cause of the delay may be due to a story first broken in January, where it was revealed that the MV Cape Ray was already underway in the Caribbean sea, intending to rendezvous with Dutch and Norwegian ships to take possession of the chemical weapons.  It also revealed that the chemical weapons were to be used in joint military actions around the world and in "combination forces," that is, two or more countries combining their armed forces and operating as a single entity.

Another conflict arises.  The MV Cape Ray is scheduled to be in Singapore on March 8, 2014.  According to Syria, most of their chemical weapons stockpile will be removed by March 1, less than one week away.  Even if they manage to meet this deadline, the chemicals must still be transferred to the Cape Ray.  It must then travel to the end of the Mediterranean sea, enter and exit the Red sea, and then make it to Singapore.  This seems highly unlikely given the extreme care which must be given in handling weapons of this kind.

The question now must be asked, "Who are the weapons really being given to?"  Reuters gives the following statement regarding the cooperation between NATO and Russian forces:

          "NATO and Russian warships would provide strong protection to a ship carrying some of the world's most dangerous cargo."

Official statements say that the Cape Ray will be carrying the chemical weapons.  If this is the case, then why was their no mention of the Cape Ray in the above quote?  Could it be possible that the authors of the article have information regarding the real identity of the ship to be handling Syria's chemical weapons?  It is possible.

In a related article published Feb. 11, The Obama Administration admitted to wrestling with a decision to kill a United States citizen with a drone strike.  The Obama administration gave the information to both CBS News and the Associated Press (AP) the identity of the country in which the drone strike would take place, yet asked them not to reveal the location because officials believed publishing it "could interrupt ongoing counterterror operations."

So what we have here is a clear case of the transfer of chemical weapons from one nation to another under the cover of chemical weapons disposal.  Such an act is considered illegal under the Chemical Weapons Convention, ratified by the United States in 1993, which prohibits the "development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, and transfer or use of chemical weapons."

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