Cypriot Captain Says Israelis Stopped Vessel

An Israeli gunboat reportedly ordered a Cypriot ferry boat back to port Friday and told ships to stop using the Larnaca to Juniyah sea route to Lebanon, the ship’s captain told reporters on his return to Cyprus.

Capt. Dimitris Vrakas of the 3,680-ton Sunny Boat, which makes a daily round trip between Larnaca and Juniyah, claimed his vessel was stopped by an Israeli gunboat, five hours after leaving Larnaca.

Vrakas said he was told on the radio to change direction and return to Larnaca.

“You and the other ship do not follow our instructions and you continue to bring Palestinian terrorists back to Lebanon . . . From today, the Juniyah-Larnaca line is stopped,” Vrakas quoted the Israeli captain as saying.

He said the gunboat followed the Sunny Boat, with 64 passengers on board, at a distance of one mile back to Cypriot territorial waters.

Vrakas, a Greek national, told reporters by telephone, “I tried to explain to the Israeli commander that as far as we knew we were not carrying any Palestinian guerrillas.

“I told him I couldn’t know if passengers had false papers. He was quite threatening,” Vrakas added.

In Tel Aviv, an army officer said a boat en route to Lebanon was stopped at sea for a “routine check,” but was allowed to continue its voyage. No other details were available from the Israeli government.

Shipping agents confirmed they had canceled the scheduled departure for a second ship, the 8,187-ton Empress, which was to sail for Juniyah from Larnaca later with 150 passengers on board.

Shipping agents have denied that they carry Palestinian fighters returning to Lebanon to fight in the “camps war” against the Shia Muslim Amal militia, arguing that Palestinians could not land in Christian-controlled Juniyah.

But Palestinian sources in Cyprus say that the Palestine Liberation Organization pays Christian Falangist militiamen who have an organized system of running PLO fighters safely into Lebanon.

The Israeli navy patrols off Lebanon and regularly stops ships heading for Lebanese ports.