- 27 Mar 2003 05:04
#4958
This is interesting, take a look, it raises some good points and aligations about the US. And it proves once and for all that Americans haev got to stop trusting their government when it says "Creditable Evidance"
MOSCOW - The Kremlin went on a media offensive Tuesday, publicizing its own version of a conversation between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin about U.S. allegations that Moscow had illicitly sold military equipment to Iraq and hinting that Washington itself had sold sensitive equipment to other nations.
The White House said that Bush called Putin on Monday to raise complaints about alleged sales of anti-tank guided missiles, global positioning system jamming devices and night-vision goggles to Iraq, which could pose a danger to American troops.
However, Kremlin spokesman Alexei Gromov said Tuesday that during the conversation, it was Putin who had brought up the allegations, denying them and telling Bush that Russia had provided "information on the absence of such supplies" on many occasions.
"The president of Russia also notes that the discussion concerns unproved, public declarations that can damage the relations between the two countries," Gromov said. "Moreover, in reply, the American side was addressed with questions on analogous problems, which have not been answered yet."
There was no elaboration on Putin's accusation. However, at a press conference Tuesday in the Russian nuclear weapons center of Sarov, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev accused some of the United States' "closest allies" of providing dangerous nuclear equipment to Iran — turning the tables on Washington, which has frequently accused Moscow of leaking nuclear and missile technologies to Tehran.
Rumyantsev said he was "alarmed" by press reports that an Anglo-Dutch consortium, Urenco, had provided centrifuges that could be used to enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons, the Interfax-Military News Agency reported.
"Who is doing this?," chimed in Ivanov, according to Interfax. "The closest commercial and not just commercial, but also political and military allies of the United States — an Anglo-Dutch consortium."
Gromov said Putin had stressed to Bush that Russia "treats respect for the U.N. sanctions regime (against Iraq) and the norms of international law seriously, taking all measures for complete compliance."
The Kremlin press office, which usually issues its statements by fax or through the main Russian news agencies, took the unusual step of calling news organizations and dictating Gromov's statement over the phone.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and other officials vehemently denied that Russian firms had sold the equipment to Iraq and said that there was no evidence behind the U.S. allegations. However, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Washington had "credible evidence" of the sales and that intelligence reports indicated ongoing cooperation between a Russian company producing jamming equipment and the Iraqi military.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that three Russian companies were involved in the sales. It identified two of them as KBP Tula and Aviaconversiya, a Moscow-based company, saying that KBP had supplied anti-tank guided missiles and Aviaconversiya provided the jamming devices.
Tula's design director denied the allegation on Tuesday and suggested it arose "to justify the U.S. military's lack of success in the first stage of war actions after the attack on Iraq," the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
A former commander of the Russian air force, Gen. Anatoly Kornukov, said he doubted that Russian companies had breached the sanctions, but that Russian military equipment could have ended up in Iraq via intermediary countries, Interfax reported.
MOSCOW - The Kremlin went on a media offensive Tuesday, publicizing its own version of a conversation between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin about U.S. allegations that Moscow had illicitly sold military equipment to Iraq and hinting that Washington itself had sold sensitive equipment to other nations.
The White House said that Bush called Putin on Monday to raise complaints about alleged sales of anti-tank guided missiles, global positioning system jamming devices and night-vision goggles to Iraq, which could pose a danger to American troops.
However, Kremlin spokesman Alexei Gromov said Tuesday that during the conversation, it was Putin who had brought up the allegations, denying them and telling Bush that Russia had provided "information on the absence of such supplies" on many occasions.
"The president of Russia also notes that the discussion concerns unproved, public declarations that can damage the relations between the two countries," Gromov said. "Moreover, in reply, the American side was addressed with questions on analogous problems, which have not been answered yet."
There was no elaboration on Putin's accusation. However, at a press conference Tuesday in the Russian nuclear weapons center of Sarov, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev accused some of the United States' "closest allies" of providing dangerous nuclear equipment to Iran — turning the tables on Washington, which has frequently accused Moscow of leaking nuclear and missile technologies to Tehran.
Rumyantsev said he was "alarmed" by press reports that an Anglo-Dutch consortium, Urenco, had provided centrifuges that could be used to enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons, the Interfax-Military News Agency reported.
"Who is doing this?," chimed in Ivanov, according to Interfax. "The closest commercial and not just commercial, but also political and military allies of the United States — an Anglo-Dutch consortium."
Gromov said Putin had stressed to Bush that Russia "treats respect for the U.N. sanctions regime (against Iraq) and the norms of international law seriously, taking all measures for complete compliance."
The Kremlin press office, which usually issues its statements by fax or through the main Russian news agencies, took the unusual step of calling news organizations and dictating Gromov's statement over the phone.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and other officials vehemently denied that Russian firms had sold the equipment to Iraq and said that there was no evidence behind the U.S. allegations. However, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Washington had "credible evidence" of the sales and that intelligence reports indicated ongoing cooperation between a Russian company producing jamming equipment and the Iraqi military.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that three Russian companies were involved in the sales. It identified two of them as KBP Tula and Aviaconversiya, a Moscow-based company, saying that KBP had supplied anti-tank guided missiles and Aviaconversiya provided the jamming devices.
Tula's design director denied the allegation on Tuesday and suggested it arose "to justify the U.S. military's lack of success in the first stage of war actions after the attack on Iraq," the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
A former commander of the Russian air force, Gen. Anatoly Kornukov, said he doubted that Russian companies had breached the sanctions, but that Russian military equipment could have ended up in Iraq via intermediary countries, Interfax reported.
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