Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Russia in 300-million-dollar missile deal with Syria: report

Russia plans to supply Syria with around 72 P-800 Yakhont cruise missiles in a deal worth at least 300 million dollars, a source in Russia's arms industry told the Interfax news agency Sunday. "Damascus is counting on receiving no less than two Bastion coastal defence systems. Since each system can include up to 36 Yakhont missiles, it is an order of a significant size," the source told Interfax.
Russia will receive at least 300 million dollars for the defence systems, Interfax cited the source as saying.
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4 comments:

  1. Russia 'irresponsible' for selling arms to Syria: Israel
    Jerusalem (AFP) Sept 19, 2010 - Israel on Sunday denounced as irresponsible the reported sale by Russia of P-800 Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria, saying it could threaten the strategic balance in the region. News of the sale emerged on Friday when Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told reporters in Washington that Moscow would fulfil a 2007 contract to supply Yakhont cruise missiles to Damascus, Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency reported. The sale, worth at least 300 million dollars, will see Syria receiving around 72 cruise missiles, the Interfax news agency said on Sunday, citing defence industry sources.

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  2. "This decision translates into a very poor demonstration of responsibility by a country which sees itself as influential and which claims to act in favour of regional stability," a senior Israeli government official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "These weapons could affect the strategic balance in a fragile region which has only just begun peace negotiations," he said, referring to direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians which began on September 2. Syria and Israel remain technically in a state of war, and Russia's arms sales and possible nuclear cooperation with Damascus, which has close ties to Iran, is unnerving for both Washington and the Jewish state.

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  3. srael is also concerned that such weapons could be transferred to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia. But Russia's defence minister said such fears were unjustified. "The US and Israel ask us not to supply Syria with Yakhont," he was quoted as saying on Friday. "But we do not see the concerns expressed by them, that these arms will fall into the hands of terrorists." Russian weapons sales to Damascus provoked Israeli ire in May after Moscow said it was supplying Syria with MiG-29 fighter jets, Pantsir short-range air defence systems and armoured vehicles.

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  4. Russia's arms sales and possible nuclear cooperation with Syria, which has close ties to Iran, is unnerving for the United States and Israel, which fear that they could be transferred to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

    Serdyukov said that Russia did not see a basis for these concerns.

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