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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1437369/posts

"US TOLD TO LEAVE CENTRAL ASIA"
SBS (AU) ^ | 06JUL05 | SBS

Posted on 07/05/2005 11:49:21 PM PDT by familyop

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Leaders of a six-nation security bloc led by Beijing and Moscow called for a deadline to be set for the withdrawal of US forces from bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The presidents of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which comprises Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and China, signed a declaration calling for deadlines to be set on the closure of airbases used by US forces in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

"Considering that the active phase of the military anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan has finished, member states... consider it essential that the relevant participants in the anti-terrorist coalition set deadlines on the temporary use" of bases in the SCO area, the declaration read.

The two main coalition bases, one at Karshi-Khanabad in Uzbekistan, the other at Manas in Kyrgyzstan, have each been used to support US-led operations in Afghanistan since 2001.

Germany also has a few hundred military personnel, most of them engineering and medical staff, at a separate base in Uzbekistan, Termez, while a few hundred French forces work from Tajikistan's main airport in Dushanbe.

The declaration also included a call for "non-interference in the internal afairs of sovereign states," seemingly a swipe at growing Western influence in Central Asia, which Moscow has long considered its sphere of influence.

Analysts see the declaration as a blow to US moves to set up a security line across Central Asia to protect vital oil interests and create a barrier against growing terrorism in the region."

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1437370/posts

Russia will equip Iranian Submarines with Missiles
India-Defence ^

Posted on 07/06/2005 12:08:22 AM PDT by Srirangan

Quoting a report from the Second International Naval Show (IMDS-2005) in St. Petersburg.

Moreover, Kommersant found out that Rosoboronexport is negotiating with Iran about repair and modernization of Iranian submarines. Iran has three submarines of Project 877EKM that were supplied by Russia in 1992 (Russian name of the sub B-219, Iranian—901 Tareq), in June 1993 (B-224, 902 Noor) and in November 1996 (B-175, 903 Yunes). It was expected that all the major components that already exceeded their life expectancy will be replaced. Also, the new anti-ship missile complex Club-S with the target distance of 200 km will be installed on these subs. The refurbishing of each sub would be done under the contract which costs anywhere from $80 to $90 million. Originally it was expected that the refurbishing will be done in Zvezdochka Co (Severo-Dvinsk) but Admiralty Shipyards are also fighting for the contract.

Complete Report: Russia Will equip Iranian Submarines with Missiles
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