Government Reaffirms Ban on Arms Shipments Under National Flag
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has reaffirmed its position that no vessel registered under the national flag should be used to transport arms or ammunition to conflict zones, including the ongoing war in Gaza.
During the post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said it is “a policy of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, in particular in relation to what is taking place in Israel and Gaza, that we will not support or have anyone affiliated with the flag or Antigua and Barbuda engaging in the provision of arms or ammunition to either side in that conflict.”
He added that vessels found in violation of this policy will be deregistered, stating that “the Prime Minister was quite adamant on this, stating that Antigua flagships will be deflagged.”
Merchant explained that the registration process includes requirements to declare cargo through a shipping manifest, which enables authorities to detect violations. “There are different procedures that must be followed before registration takes place,” he said. “And, of course, if you are shipping, you have your manifest. And so you must disclose what your cargo is… that leads to discovery.”
He noted that this is how the Department of Marine Affairs was able to identify a vessel carrying arms and begin the process of deregistration. “That is how the Department of Marine Affairs were able to flag or to discover the cargo of this vessel and to put out a warning and to indicate that the process of deregistration would proceed because of the cargo,” he said.
Merchant also emphasized that the policy reflects the government’s wider diplomatic stance on the Gaza conflict. “The government abhors what seems to be or what many would describe as genocide on the Palestinian people,” he said, adding that the administration has “consistently utilized its offices around the world to call on Israel and its partners to end this senseless conflict.”
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It’s sad Israel was allowed to openly life stream war crimes and killing of the people. Before media and official openly call it a genocidal apartheid
@Young Antiguan Communist: Do you like France? Why you don’t protest and loudly condemns all genocidal France is doing in Africa in the recently decades and how FRance is controlling the Economies keep those countries like real salves under them? They are really people like you suffering long long oppressions from France.
I am glad that Hamas live-streamed what it did on Saturday 7th October 2023 so that ignorant fools you will not fool everyone.
Keep going Israel. Fight to the very end even if it means killing every Hamas combatant.
Me glad we standing firm on this. Guns and violence nah for we.
Respect to the government for holding the line. Peace must remain priority.
Antigua flag should represent peace, not war.
Don’t ease up on this. Keep the flag clean.
So proud of this little island holding to high standards.
Stand firm!
How are you going to prove a Antigua Flagged ship is bringing arms to Isreal. If the world police (usa) dont bother to board the ship how will ever be more then conjecture. No western power is likely to board a vessel suspected of brining arms to Isreal. However if it were arms to IRan there would be a armada surrounding the boat. This is the world we live in.
🚨Young Antiguan Communist
🤣 Name one successful communist state.. I’ll wait. It’s always those ‘comrades’ that have never had to collectively eat grass that are the first to champion it. Don’t forget to sport that edgy Che Guevara T- shirt. What did he say about Black people?🙄
:”The blacks, those magnificent examples of the African race who have maintained their racial purity thanks to their lack of an affinity with bathing”
It’s an insult to those that suffered under apartheid to make such a false claim regarding Israel. Apartheid is alive and kicking in the Palestinian territories. Afro- Palestinians that were taken there because of the Arab slave trade live in the Al abeed quarter. Abeed means slave. Meanwhile, Israel is home to 2 million Arabs, with equal rights.
On the topic of slavery..perhaps you hadn’t noticed that Blacks are still enslaved by Arabs in Mauritania, Sudan etc. Eldridge Cleaver ( Black Panther) was duped by the PLO, and when he went to Algeria, he soon discovered that their mantra was hardly ‘liberation’. This marked the end of his love affair with ‘Palestine’. He said:
:”I saw slaves in Algeria. They have slaves in Mauritania. They have slaves in all those countries.”
The claim of a genocide has been weaponised in this conflict, undermining the victims of actual genocides. Parrot hamas propaganda… because that’s about all a useful eediot can do. It only serves to strengthen Islamic Jihad, which not only brings massacres to Israelis, but is currently terrorising Africa. The Sahel is witnessing daily massacres..villages being torched, people beheaded, raped and burnt alive because they are Christian. The silence is deafening. And yeah..Free Palestine from Hamarse.
@Am Yisrael Chai
Every time I see a black fellow or gay with a face of Che Guevara T-shirt my blood boil. Fidel Castro, the Rich communist than bring a prosperous country to trash did pretty well to use it as a political campaign. Brainless people just brought that so easy.
For those who don’t understand who crap was Che Guevara or who are Extremist Islamist like Hamas. Is like applaud KKK movement. And wear T-shirts in their honor
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