Posted on 04/01/2003 12:13:42 PM PST by WaveThatFlag
Ukraine's arms export agency denied on Monday a report in U.S. magazine Newsweek that Ukrainian dealers sold Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions.
"Nothing like that could have gone past us," Ukrspetsexport spokesman Alexander Urban said by telephone from Kiev.
Newsweek reported that Iraq has purchased 1,000 laser-guided Kornet missiles and identified the sellers as Ukrainian arms dealers. The magazine cited unnamed Pentagon generals as saying Ukrainian dealers sold about 500 Kornets in January. Iraqi forces have used the missiles, made by KBP of Tula, to destroy two U.S. Abrams tanks already, the sources said.
The magazine also said Iraq might have acquired missiles from "entrepreneurial generals" in Syria. The Syrian military bought from KBP in 1998 and 1999 about 1,000 anti-tank missiles, including Kornets, which can engage targets at night and have a range of up to 5.5 kilometers.
The United States accused the Russian government last month of failing to stop Russian companies from selling Kornets and other defense equipment to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions. Monday's Newsweek report suggests that Iraq might have managed to obtain the equipment through third parties.
Ukrspetsexport said customers must provide the so-called end-user certificate, which bans the resale of the arms.
Urban said Ukrspetsexport mediates all of Ukraine's arms exports, apart from military aircraft engine sales, but cannot be held accountable if a customer violates the end-user certificate.
Officials at the Security Service of Ukraine, which fights arms smuggling, declined to comment Monday. The service said Friday that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle Scud missile components out of Ukraine and noted that attempts to smuggle Ukrainian defense technology have intensified since the war began in Iraq, the Prima-News news agency reported Monday.
The arms sales allegations came after Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma denied U.S. claims last year that he approved the sale of four Kolchuga radar systems to Iraq in July 2000 -- also in violation of UN sanctions. Washington said last week that an investigation into the alleged radar sale was continuing.
The Iraqi Embassy said Monday that KBP has not supplied any missiles to Iraq. "All of this is disinformation to justify the military setbacks of the American and British aggressors in Iraq," Ambassador Abbas Khalaf told Interfax.
KBP denies selling equipment to Iraq, and Russian government officials on Monday repeated denials that Russian companies had made any sales.
"We are already tired of commenting on this. Russia has not violated any international arms embargoes," said an official at the Defense Ministry's military-technical cooperation committee, which clears all Russian arms deals.
The official, who asked not to be named, said his committee takes pains to ensure that clients of Russia's chief arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, KBP and other companies sign end-user certificates. He added that Russia couldn't be held liable for clients who don't adhere to the certificate.
Calls to the Syrian Embassy's press officer went unanswered Monday.
Syria bought $138 million of Kornet and Metis anti-tank missiles from KBP in 1998 and 1999. The United States responded by slapping sanctions on KBP, even though the UN has not imposed an embargo on arms sales to Syria.
A compliment, in a way.
(steely)
Ukraine produces a lot of Russian missile components, even today for the supposedly privatized Russian space program, as well as for military ICBMs. This is why I thought it was ridiculous that we were paying them to dig up old ICBMs. If there is still demand, they'll build it, mostly because they have a big unemployment problem.
I lived for about six months in Donetsk two years ago. My neighbor worked at the "Topaz" factory in our neighborhood, which tries to disguise itself as a furniture factory. Only recently I discovered that it makes the Kolchuga stealth-detecting SAM radar.
My neighbor Lyuba would complain that she was paid less than $100 a month and her pay was often held up for months, but she was happy to have something, and when paid it was higher than average.
The average Ukrainian is just holding on by their fingernails. Many young Ukrainians work outside the country, even in Russia.
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