Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Nigeria president pledges to UNESCO to take care of Russia sailors

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Nigeria president pledges to UNESCO to take care of Russia sailors

    ITAR-TASS, Russia
    Aug 23 2005

    Nigeria president pledges to UNESCO to take care of Russia sailors



    MOSCOW, August 23 (Itar-Tass) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo
    will take care of Russian sailors who are kept in custody in this
    country. He made these pledges in a message addressed to the Paris
    UNESCO headquarters after an address of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
    Ara Abramyan.

    `I bear in mind your concerns and intention to quickly settle the
    situation,' the president emphasized. He noted that after the
    proceedings and the pronouncement of the sentence `political steps
    may be made or possible exchange of prisoners may be considered.'

    UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and head of the Union of Russian Armenians
    Ara Abramyan is taking part actively in the efforts to return the
    sailors to the homeland. The Russian side handed over to Nigerian
    lawyers all necessary documents for their release under guarantees of
    the embassy.

    `The formalities that the Nigerian court demanded from the Russian
    side are fulfilled,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said. `At present,
    the point is that these documents should pass through relevant
    Nigerian instances,' the ministry said.

    The Russian sailors are kept in custody in the strict regime prison
    Kiri-Kiri. They are accused of oil smuggling. The tanker African
    Pride flying the Panamanian colors and belonging to the Greek company
    Azora-service was detained on October 8, 2003, 18 miles off Lagos on
    suspicions of crude smuggling.

    The hearings of the case began in the Nigerian federal court in March
    2004. Only some crewmembers of the tanker, including 12 Russian
    sailors were charged with attempted oil smuggling from the country.
    The defendants refused to plead guilty.

    The youngest crewmember is 25 years old, and the oldest is 65 years
    old. All of them need qualified medical aid. They recovered from
    malaria, are exhausted and sick with gastroenteritis.
Working...
X