New Kalashnikovs for Iraq Washington - In building the new Iraqi army, the American arms industry really wanted to make a quick buck. But now the US transitional government in Iraq has placed an obstacle on the path of these plans.
The American arms dealers lobby is annoyed by the US transitional regime in Iraq. Reason: the authorities have commissioned a tender for 34,000 guns of the Russian AK-47 type. With the Kalashnikovs they want to equip the new Iraqi army, which will attain a strength of 40,000 men in three years. "This means, that the new, improved Iraqi army will be equipped with non-American weapons", concludes John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org, an American interest group for defence policy. Arms experts had previously demanded, that the new Iraqi army would be equipped with modern American weaponry. A spokesperson of the transitional government justified the tender, which ends today, to the LA Times. He said that the Iraqi recruits were already used to the AK-47. Anyway the Kalashnikovs were "the simplist to explain and the simplest to use". In principle the contract must be concluded on the basis of American law, and the assault rifles should be supplied by an American corporation. But even so, the largest part of the money will not go to the USA. The reason is that the AK-47 is almost exclusively manufactured in formerly Eastern Bloc countries. Poland might therefore profit from the US decision. That country supported the USA in the Iraq war. "If they adopted a different policy, it could be a gold mine for American arms suppliers", Pike commented on the buying policy of the transitional government. The case of the Kalashnikovs raises interesting questions about the further construction of the new Iraqi army. "For example, what about jet fighters ? Are they going to order them in Sweden ?". Translated from: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,260468,00.html
