Posted on 02/01/2005 10:56:32 PM PST by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Ukraine 'Sold Nuclear-Capable Missiles to Iran'
2.2.2005
A senior lawmaker alleges that Ukraine sold nuclear-capable cruise missiles to Iran and China in violation of international non-proliferation treaties and is demanding the new government launch a full investigation.
The allegations were made in a letter by lawmaker Hrihory Omelchenko and addressed to President Viktor Yushchenko, a reformist who took office last week.
Yushchenko, who takes over from Leonid Kuchma, has promised a thorough investigation of corruption and misdeeds that allegedly flourished during his predecessor’s 10 years as president.
Kuchma allegedly sanctioned the sale of sophisticated radar systems to Iraq in 2002, contravening UN sanctions.
In the letter, Omelchenko said an investigation launched last summer “proved that some 20 air-launched Kh-55 and Kh-55M cruise missiles with nuclear capability were exported to third countries” in contravention of international treaties.
“Six missiles destined for Russia ended up in Iran ... six missiles destined for Russia ended up in China” the letter said. It said the exports occurred during 1999 to 2001.
Omelchenko is an ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been nominated as Ukraine’s next prime minister.
Vyacheslav Astapov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General, said the office began an investigation into the alleged sales last summer and “this year we received new information.”
Astapov also said a top-ranking Iranian diplomat in Ukraine met with Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun, but he did not elaborate.
Iranian diplomats in Kiev were not available for comment.
Omelchenko also claimed that businessmen from several enterprises – including state-run weapons exporter Ukrspetseksport and its daughter companies – companies in the United States, Cyprus and Iran and individuals from the Ukrainian security service shared hefty profits from several illicit defence deals that included sales of radar equipment to Eritrea.
American diplomats in Kiev were “aware of the reports” on illicit missile sales and took them “very seriously,” a US embassy spokesman said.
Last March, former Defence Minister Yevhen Marchuk warned that several hundred Soviet-built SA-2 surface-to-air missiles are unaccounted for. Defence officials later claimed that these missiles from arsenals in former Warsaw Pact member countries had been brought to Ukraine for decommissioning and were lost due to “accounting problems” and “the absence of records.”
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I sincerely hope that they don't sweep this under the rug now.
Bump!
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act -- and we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror -- pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
As for Iran, I heard exactly what I wanted to hear. Although I would have liked to hear more than one line. I don't know, if I was an Iranian dissident, I would like to hear more than one line at a time. But we can only hope that this line plays heavily among the Iranian people, and that it is acted upon en masse, and soon.
After giving this some thought, I think that the only way Iranian dissidents can accomplish regime change is if there is a large-scale revolt in the oil sector and/or the military. The regime collapses without its current oil revenues. It could also collapse by pressure from its own military. The trick will be revolt by lots of people where coordination is extremely difficult to do. Maybe people will start revolting, and others will exponetially join the revolution.
It can be very hard to be patient, but I try. I agree that regime change will eventually occur - but when? We can't wait forever. I so really don't want a bombing campaign or an invasion into Iran. Bombs can eliminate the regime, but the goal is to bring freedom to Iran, not necessarily destruction.
Watch for May 2005 election in Iran. No one attends in the sham elections in Iran. What does it mean? It has only one clear message... the regime is not wanted any more. I believe Iranians need a leader! Without a leader, the chance of intervention by foreigners would remain high and that is not what I want for my country.
I really wanted Mr. Bush to speak more than one line about Iran. But that made me happy that he knows the differences between Iranian people and Syrian govt. He knows how to speak to two nations. While he addressed the Syrians harshly, he addressed so differently. He talked to us, as the people of Iran, and this is so good. But once again, I really don't want an American made freedom for my country. That is not gonna work in Iran. But I really want a US support for my nation's desire to gain freedom. It is necessary to have world community behind and seek freedom. Military intervention just destroys everything Iranian dissidents have done in the past 7-8 years.
I think the Mullahs can be gone by early 2006 if the US put pressure on the Mullahs and cut the EU-Mullahs relations. The Iranian people will be proud to free their own country and don't ask Americans to free their land.
Iranians must pay the cost of the freedom they want, not Americans.
GE Says No New Business in Iran
Reuters
Feb 2nd, 05
BOSTON (Reuters) - Faced with political pressure over its business ties in Iran, General Electric Co. said on Wednesday it would not accept any new business there, citing "uncertain conditions" in the country.
"Senior management and the board decided in mid-December to discontinue taking new orders because of uncertain conditions relating to Iran," said Gary Sheffer, executive director of communications and public affairs at GE.
Sheffer declined to elaborate on the meaning of "uncertain conditions."
U.S. politicians have been critical of American companies doing business in Iran through foreign subsidiaries, saying such methods violate the intention of trade sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Iran and Washington broke ties in 1980 after diplomatic attempts failed to free hostages taken in 1979 when militant students overran and occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Tensions between the two governments have been fueled in recent months by tough talk from President Bush's administration, which has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and funding terror groups.
The company's announcement follows similar moves by U.S. oilfield services conglomerate Halliburton Co. and British oil major BP Plc (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) .
Halliburton recently won a contract to drill part of Iran's giant South Pars gas field in the Gulf, but it said this month it would not seek further new business there.
GE sells energy products and services and medical diagnostic equipment in Iran. Most of its business there relates to the oil and gas industry.
"Our subsidiaries have been around for many, many decades and have done business in Iran in full compliance with the law," said Sheffer.
The company plans to complete existing projects in Iran, which should take about a year, he said.
GE, the world's biggest company by market capitalization, generated revenue of $270 million -- or less than 1 percent of the company's total sales -- in Iran last year with both private and government customers.
On Wednesday, Tehran's chamber of commerce said it was in talks with its U.S. counterpart to set up a joint chamber that could facilitate trade between Iran and the United States, despite political antagonism. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington could not immediately confirm any such discussions between the two chambers.
The United States has imposed trade sanctions on Iran, but has exempted some of Iran's main non-oil exports from the embargo and buys Iran's carpets, pistachio nuts, shrimp and caviar.
U.S. law prohibits companies, but not their foreign subsidiaries, from doing business with nations sponsoring terrorism.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=7517834
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Change the law and close the loophole.
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