-Caveat Lector-
... these are ...
>From TheFreeRepublic
""Both Syria and Vietnam are scrambling to modernize their armed
forces in order to be able to repel massive air raids similar to
those carried out by NATO in Yugoslavia, according to an
official at Rosvooruzhenie.""
> Countries Race for Russian Weapons
>
>
> Foreign Affairs News Keywords: NATO
> Source: The St. Petersburg Times ( Russia ) Must Read
> Published: July 9, 1999 Author: Simon Saradzhyan
> Posted on 07/10/1999 05:52:19 PDT by Jzoback
>
>
>
> Countries Race for Russian Weapons
>
> By Simon Saradzhyan
> STAFF WRITER
>
> MOSCOW - Motivated by NATO's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia to
> upgrade their national defense systems, developing nations are
> making a beeline for the Russian arms market. Judging from
> preliminary figures and visits this week by several top-ranking
> foreign officials from Vietnam, Syria and Iraq, this year should
> prove to be a promising one for Russian arms trade.
>
> The first of the delegations to arrive was from Vietnam, last
> week. Defense Minister Pham van Tra, who was in town for a
> three-day visit, met his Russian counterpart Igor Sergeyev and
> top officials from the country's two largest arms mediators -
> Rosvooruzhenie, Russia's chief arms exporter, and Promexport.
>
> He was followed by Syrian President Hafez Assad, who came Monday
> to try to revive military cooperation with Russia. Assad, like
> the Vietnamese delegation, declined to comment on the details of
> Syria's proposed purchase, but news agencies reported he is
> seeking to buy as much as $2 billion in weaponry, including
> Russia's new MIG-29 SMT jet fighter.
>
> Both Syria and Vietnam are scrambling to modernize their armed
> forces in order to be able to repel massive air raids similar to
> those carried out by NATO in Yugoslavia, according to an official
> at Rosvooruzhenie. Russian-made fighters and air defense systems
> are most in demand, and their price tags - lower than western
> equivalents - are attractive to developing nations.
>
> "There has been a lot of talk about how Yugoslavia could have
> defended itself if it had enough S-300 [air defense] systems,"
> the official said in a recent phone interview.
>
> In addition to the MiG-29 fighters, Syria is also considering
> S-300 air defense systems. Damascus is also planning to buy spare
> parts for its aging fleet of Soviet-made fighters and armored
> vehicles. Soviet and Russian-made weaponry comprise 90 percent of
> Syria's arsenal.
>
> Assad was given a warm welcome in Moscow. Russian President Boris
> Yeltsin called him an "old friend" as top arms dealers stood by
> to take orders. The one potential snag in the deal is the
> question of Syria's $12 billion dollar debt to Russia, which
> dates back to Damascus' failure to pay for weapons purchased
> during the Soviet era. However, Russian Foreign Minister Igor
> Ivanov indicated this week that Mos cow is ready to put its
> demands for the Soviet-era debt on hold.
>
> Indeed, Russia appears eager to take advantage of the current
> post-Yugoslavia momentum to increase its position as a global
> arms trader. Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin said as much this
> week, when he announced that Russia plans to boost its weapons
> exports in order to expand its global influence as well as to
> secure funds for its cash-strapped military.
>
> But while officials at Rosvooruzhenie may be counting their
> rubles, U.S. officials are warning Russia that any weapons
> exports to Syria could hinder U.S. aid to the Kremlin. The United
> States already slapped sanctions on three Russian arms
> manufacturers last April for selling arms to Syria - which is
> included in the U.S. State Department's annual list of nations
> that sponsor international terrorism.
>
> These sanctions have only angered Russia, which appears to be
> more than ready to cooperate with Syria.
>
> "We view these sanctions as an infringement on freedom of trade,"
> said one Rosvooruzhenie official, adding that the agency will
> "cooperate" with Damascus unless the United Nations decides to
> impose sanctions.
>
> If the U.S. has objections to Syria, it is likely to frown even
> more on other potential arms deals - namely with Libya and Iraq,
> both of which are banned from purchasing weapons by a United
> Nations mandate.
>
> Vasily Pankov, director of the Sokol aircraft plant in Nizhny
> Novgorod, told Interfax this week that Russia is planning to sell
> Libya several MiG-31 fighter planes. Russia may also modernize
> the 90 MiG-25s that Libya currently owns, Pankov added.
>
> Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz was also in town this
> week seeking to break the UN-mandated ban on its weapons
> purchases.
>
> "It makes no sense to fulfill our obligations when the UN
> Security Council is not fulfilling its [obligations]. In
> particular, it doesn't protect Iraq's sovereignty," the Iraqi
> official told reporters.
>
> Russia's overall arms sales will grow this year to total some $3
> billion, compared to $2.7 billion sold in 1998, according to
> Konstantin Makienko, deputy head of the Moscow-based Center For
> Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
>
> The country's chief arms exporter Ros vooruzhenie alone plans to
> earn $2.5 billion this year, and another half billion in revenues
> is expected from other Russian arms dealers, Makienko said.
>
> Rosvooruzhenie is well on its way to a profitable year, having
> received $1.29 billion from its foreign customers in the first
> six months of 1999, according to a recent Rosvooruzhenie press
> release. The press release said this sum is the largest that the
> company has earned in any similar period in the past five years.
>
> In addition to the cheaper price tag and the Kosovo conflict,
> Russian arms sales are also being fueled by mass sales of less
> expensive, second-hand weapons, Makienko said.
>
> The decision to sell MiG-29s at a discount came after several
> dozen partially assembled fighters piled up at a plant outside
> Moscow. The manufacturer did not sell one plane in 1996 and 1997,
> but it still refused to reduce its $30 million price tag.
>
> Finally, Makienko said, they made the right choice by slashing
> prices down to $15 million per plane in 1998. This move clinched
> a contract with Bang la desh, which earlier this year signed a
> deal to purchase eight MiG-29s for a total of $115 million.
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