Nixon Center urges U.S. to allow Russian conventional arms exports
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, February 19, 2001
WASHINGTON — Russia and the United States are again arguing over the
extent of Moscow's military aid to Iran as a leading strategic think-tank
has urged the Bush administration to ease opposition to Russia's
conventional weapons exports.
The Bush administration is terming Russia a leading proliferator of
missile and nonconventional weapons technology. Russia said the United
States is hurling baseless charges.
The argument comes as U.S. officials said Russia is conducting a huge
military exercise that includes missile flight tests and the Bush
administration is being urged to change Washington's policy toward Moscow.
"Let's be very honest about what Russia is doing," U.S. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. "Russia is an active proliferator. They are
part of the problem. They are selling and assisting countries like Iran and
North Korea and India and other countries with these technologies which are
threatening other people including the United States and Western Europe and
countries in the Middle East."
A leading Russian Defense Ministry official was quick to respond. The
official said there was no point in a meeting between Rumsfeld and his
Russian counterpart, Igor Sergeyev.
"Russia is irreproachably fulfilling its international obligations,
including under the regime of nonproliferation of missile technologies,"
Gen. Leonid Ivashov, who heads the Russian Defense Ministry's international
department, told the Interfax news agency. "Even America's allies don't
believe in the U.S. fairy tales about missile threats that Rumsfeld talks
about."
In Washington, a new study by the Nixon Center calls on the Bush
administration to change U.S. policy toward Russia. The center urges
President George Bush to be very firm with Moscow on ending Russian missile
and nonconventional weapons proliferation while being flexible on Moscow's
sales of conventional arms.
On Thursday, Russia signed a deal to sell $600 million worth of weapons
to India. The contract calls for the delivery and license to build 310 T-90
tanks.
"The United States has more leverage than it has used to induce Russia
to halt its assistance to Iran's missile and nuclear development programs,
especially due to Russia's interest in cooperating with American companies
on a number of important and potentially lucrative technology projects," the
report said. "Moscow should understand that any restrictions applied to U.S.
technology may have to be implemented across-the-board rather than against
suspected violators alone."
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is scheduled to visit Moscow on March
12 and could conclude details for a multi-billion dollar arms deal with
Russia.
Monday, February 19, 2001
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