The source of a mysterious Syrian ship that arrived at the port of Tripoli, northern Lebanon, loaded with wheat and flour, remains unknown amid protests and warnings from several Western countries.
Conflicting information reported the source of flour, whether from Ukraine or Russia.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Lebanon informed President Michel Aoun of the development, confirming that the goods were stolen from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Lebanon announced that it had no information about a Syrian ship anchored in Lebanon or its cargo.
The embassy issued a statement confirming “it has no information regarding the Syrian vessel or a cargo brought to Lebanon by a private company.”
Meanwhile, the Caretaker Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, revealed that Lebanon received several protests and warnings from Western countries after the arrival of a ship carrying the Syrian flag loaded with flour and barley at Tripoli port.
The minister said that the authorities are examining the ship, and Lebanon has not yet been able to determine the source of the materials it is carrying, provided that the appropriate decision will be taken later.
Reuters quoted a customs official in Lebanon as confirming that the cargo of a Syrian ship subject to US sanctions had docked in Tripoli this week and had not been offloaded on suspicion that it was carrying stolen goods.
Presidency sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Ukrainian ambassador informed Aoun of the development, and the latter asserted that the relevant authorities would do their part to find out the source of the ship and its cargo.
Reuters previously announced that the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut had informed officials about the arrival of a Syrian ship, under US sanctions, to the port of Tripoli, carrying stolen wheat and flour.
The Ukrainian embassy said that “the ship traveled from a Crimean port that is closed to international shipping, carrying 5,000 tons of barley, and 5,000 tons of flour that we suspect was taken from Ukrainian stores.”
Ukrainian ambassador Ihor Ostach met the Lebanese president to discuss the shipment, telling him that buying stolen Ukrainian goods would “harm bilateral relations” between Kyiv and Beirut.
The Laodicea ship, according to information, is one of three ships owned by the Syrian Ports Authority, which Ukraine says is transporting stolen wheat from its warehouses in areas recently seized by Russia.
An official at a Turkish-based grain trading company denied that barley and flour shipments on a ship docked in a Lebanese port had been stolen from Ukraine, saying the flour was Russian.
An official at "Loyal Agro" company told Reuters that the company sought to import 5,000 tons of flour to Lebanon to sell it to private buyers, not to the Lebanese government.
Last Friday, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to allow grain export from Ukraine again, and Russia pledged in the deal to allow ships to pass without harm.
The agreement also included not allowing attacks on ports involved in export operations, including the port of Odesa.
