Syria Buys Arms For Iraq In Eastern Europe

Tel Aviv Ha'aretz | July 15, 2002 | Ze'ev Schiff

[Stand Watch Listen]

Syria, current president of the UN Security Council, is violating the UN arms embargo on Iraq by sending weapons and military equipment delivered to Syrian ports on to Iraq via trucks and rail. Most, but not all, of the supplies come from East European countries. Among other things, Russian-made jet engines, refurbished Russian tank engines and Czech anti-aircraft cannon are being delivered to Iraq via this route.

The sources for this information say the commercial-security relationship that has developed between the two countries since Bashar Assad came to power in Damascus, can be considered a significant strategic change in the region, particularly in light of declared American intentions to overthrow the Baghdad regime of Saddam Hussein.

U.S. and Israeli assessments say if the relationship between the two countries has reached the level of camouflaged weapons deals, it can be presumed there is more military cooperation between the two countries.

The Syrian weapons purchases for transfer to Iraq include refurbished T-55 tank engines and other replacement parts for T-72s, from Bulgaria and Belarus; military trucks from Russia; anti-aircraft cannon from the Czech republic; Ukraine and other countries have sold 80 engines for MiG 29s, as well as radar systems for those planes. In addition, spare parts have been bought by Syria and sent on to Iraq for MiG 21s, 23s and 25s. Syria has also passed on equipment from Hungary and Serbia to Iraq.

The weapons transfers put Syria in direct violation of Security Council embargoes on weapons sales to Iraq. Washington's semipublic deliberations on toppling Saddam's regime have likely led Iraq to accelerate purchasing efforts to beef up its military, which is suffering from a lack of spare parts.

Damascus has promised Washington help with intelligence on Qaida, the terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden, but behind the scenes is cooperating with Iraq, which the U.S. regards as an enemy.

The authorization for the weapons purchases must have come from President Assad himself and is a clear departure from Assad's late father's attitude toward Saddam Hussein. The late Hafez Assad aligned with the West against Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War.

In at least one case, Iraq provided similar help to Syria, allowing an arms shipment from Iran to Syria to pass through Iraq. For the purposes of the new commercial alliance, Syria and Iraq established a series of shell companies for weapons purchases.

Among those involved is the son of Syrian Defense Minister Firas Talas, who owns a large holding company in Syria. Talas is also involved in purchasing oil from Iraq.