'Kuchmagate' and Iraq (Ukraine weapons sales to Iraq)

Jane's ^ | October 11 2002

[knighthawk]

On 20 September, US President George W Bush unveiled the new US national security strategy. It calls for a first strike against rogue states that possess weapons of mass destruction and strive to "acquire dangerous technologies". Three days later, Washington accused Ukraine of violating UN sanctions against Iraq by selling it four sophisticated Kolchuga radar system units.

At the centre of the Iraqi arms scandal stand the hundreds of hours of tapes made illicitly in the office of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma by security guard Mykola Melnychenko. The portion of the tapes dealing with Iraq was only released in March on the eve of the Ukrainian elections. The existence of the tape of the Iraqi radar sale was reported earlier in the year but at that stage the US still did not publicly back up the accusations. In March, shortly before the Iraq allegations surfaced, Valeriy Malyev, head of the arms export company Ukrspetseksport, died in a mysterious car accident.

The US has been careful to indicate that the re-examination of its policy towards Ukraine is primarily directed against Kuchma, not the country as a whole, which has received $2 billion in aid since 1994 and is the fourth largest recipient of US aid.

The tape, which has been authenticated by the FBI, is of a conversation between Kuchma, Malyev, and then Security Service chief Leonid Derkach (who is accused of other illegal arms sales) which took place in July 2000. In April 1999, US intelligence sources discovered that Ukraine had signed a secret agreement for military co-operation with Iraq in November 1998. In January 1999, a Ukrainian delegation led by a deputy minister visited Iraq. During the first stage of the agreement equipment identified for customs as 'agricultural' was sent to Iraq.

On the Melnychenko tape of the July 2000 meeting, Kuchma is heard giving the go ahead to sell four Kolchuga units to Iraq for $100 million. Melnychenko claims to know the name of a "high-ranking Russian official" who was also alleged to be present. If this turns out to be true, the US-Russian alliance against international terrorism could come under serious strain.

The scenario of events after the meeting follows a clear pattern that seems to confirm the Kolchuga units were indeed dispatched to Iraq. Only four days after the conversation, the government released the Kolchuga system from any export restrictions. On 9 October 2000, an agreement on trade and scientific and technical co-operation was signed with Iraq. This was ratified by the Ukrainian parliament on 15 November 2001.

After recent US pressure, Ukraine's Security Service chief Volodymyr Radchenko conceded that the conversation had occurred but denied that the sale had actually gone ahead.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[dixiechick2000]

"... new US national security strategy. It calls for a first strike against rogue states that possess weapons of mass destruction and strive to "acquire dangerous technologies". Three days later, Washington accused Ukraine of violating UN sanctions against Iraq by selling it four sophisticated Kolchuga radar system units."

I wonder how many more rogue countries there are. Do we have enough bombs?

I'm going to buy some more defense stocks.

[genefromjersey]

NOT a surprise. The "Comrades" did not go away : they simply changed titles, and became slightly more capitalistic than they had been.

[GOP_1900AD]

No doubt. The Perestroika Deception becomes more and more obvious with every passing day. And to think that a goodly number of wishful thinkers on this very forum, who apparently buy into the fictions that the West "won the Cold War" and that "Russia are anti-Eurasian/Islamist/PRC/Oriental/etc" and therefore our "ally," will have a tough time refuting the increasing evidence that Russia have been hiding treaty violations and continuing war preparations. Such preparations are both direct and domestic, as well as via proxy in, golly gee, many of the same nations contained in the "Axis of Evil". There is also substantial cooperation these days between Russia and the PRC, particularly since the overt Axis treaty of 7/16/2001. So, to all those who have claimed that I:

1. Am "hating the USSR back into existance."

2. Live down in a bunker.

3. Fill my hat rack with unique tin foil creations.

4. Live in the past.

5. Am not capable of seeing crony "capitalism" or flat 13% taxes at work in the Orient.

6. Have no faith in the amazing and historically unique claimed capability of Francis Fukuyama's Fractured Fairy Tales, Thomas L. Friedman's Fast World, and, the Golden Arches to once and for all put great power geopolitics to rest.....

I say, "Y'all can go suck eggs!"....

[MarMema]

Ukraine is not Russia. Duh. :-)

[genefromjersey]

WELL SAID !!

[GOP_1900AD]

Russia, CIS, RF, USSR2, Axis of Evil, Trans-Asian Axis, what's the difference?

[lavaroise]

Sucking eggs will be for the lucky ones. Fake currency makers abound in the East and the West. That s the only thing they know how to do, maintaining their fraudulent system with terrorism drafts in Chechnya, intimidation and over armament.

[Jake0001]

Ukraine doesn't do anything like this without Russia's consent or acquiescence. They have been one and the same for hundreds of years much like Wales and Scotland are parts of the UK.