KYIV. Oct 2 (Interfax-AVN) - It is the constitutional duty of Ukraine's Cabinet to deal with the problem of a Ukrainian ship that was carrying tanks and other weapons, allegedly to Kenya, and was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast last week, the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) insisted on Thursday.
The weapons aboard the ship, the Faina, were destined for South Sudan and not for Kenya, a Kenyan maritime official said.
"It is the government that is responsible for the transparency and legitimacy of special exports of military merchandise and their conformity to international rules," the RNBO said in a statement, expressing "strong anxiety" at a claim by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko that the government "is practically barred from such activities."
"It is the duty [of the government] to be fully responsible and provide comprehensive and objective information concerning the legitimacy of the implementation of the contract to supply armaments for the Ministry of Defense of Kenya," the RNBO said.
It is also the government's duty, the Council insisted, to seek the release of the Faina's crew, held hostage by the pirates, and "to retract the statements of the prime minister about the illegal character of weapons trade by Ukraine, statements that pose a threat to the national security of Ukraine."