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U.S. Believes Russians in Baghdad Are Aiding Iraq
Reuters ^ | March 24th, 2003 | Arshad Mohammed

Posted on 03/24/2003 4:51:16 PM PST by Sabertooth

U.S. Believes Russians in Baghdad Are Aiding Iraq
Mon March 24, 2003 06:20 PM ET
By Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States believes Russian private sector technicians are in Baghdad helping train Iraqis to use electronic jamming systems that could endanger U.S. forces fighting Iraq, U.S. officials said on Monday.

President Bush telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to protest alleged Russian sales of night-vision goggles, antitank missiles and global positioning system (GPS) jamming systems to Iraq, the White House said. U.S. officials said such sales would violate U.N. sanctions.

"It's the kind of equipment that will put our young men and women in harm's way," Secretary of State Colin Powell told Fox News Channel, without identifying the materiel. "It gives an advantage to the enemy, an advantage we don't want them to have."

"We have been in touch with the Russians over a period of many months to point this out .... and in the last 48 hours I have seen even more information that causes me concern," Powell said. "So far I am disappointed at the response."

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov of Russia, which with France opposed the U.S.-led war against Iraq and threatened to veto a U.N. resolution sanctioning it, denied Russia had supplied Iraq with any military equipment in breach of U.N. sanctions.

"No facts proving U.S. concerns have been found," Ivanov said in Moscow, although a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said Moscow would study any evidence Washington provides.

PROTESTS AT SENIOR LEVELS

U.S. officials said Washington had been worried about the alleged sales by Russian companies for the better part of a year and had protested to Moscow at increasingly senior levels, culminating in Bush's telephone call to Putin on Monday.

"We are very concerned that there are reports of ongoing cooperation and support to Iraqi military forces being provided by a Russian company that produces GPS jamming equipment," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, also citing alleged sales of night-vision goggles and anti-tank guided missiles.

For years, the United States has with limited success asked Russia not to spread weapons technology, notably to Iran, where U.S. officials complain Moscow has sold missile technology. The United States has in particular pushed Russia to tighten export controls to prevent private firms from making such sales.

U.S. officials believe the alleged military sales to Iraq have been carried out by private Russian firms and they want greater oversight by the Russian government to stop them.

A U.S. official who asked not to be named said Washington decided to make its accusations public late last week when it discovered Russian company technicians in Baghdad aiding the Iraqis with the jamming system after the U.S.-led war began.

"They are there in Baghdad ... trying to make the system work, the jamming system," said the U.S. official.

"It was the discovery that there are ... Russian technicians helping to make this GPS jamming work in Baghdad that prompted the internal debate in the U.S. government about what to do and (whether) to go public," the official added.

Powell, speaking later to Britain's Sky News, declined to say whether he believed the Russian technicians were on the ground, but said flatly: "I know the equipment is there."

Allegations of such alleged Russian military sales surfaced on Sunday in the Washington Post, which reported that the United States had protested against the sales late last week.

The newspaper cited Bush administration sources as saying one Russian company was helping the Iraqi military deploy electronic jamming equipment against U.S. planes and bombs, and two others have sold antitank missiles and thousands of night-vision goggles in violation of U.N. sanctions.

A U.S. official who asked not to be named told Reuters there were signs some of the materiel may have been listed as bound for Syria or Yemen to hide its intended destination.



TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: aviaconversiya; gps; ivanov; kbptula; putin; russia; warlist
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A U.S. official who asked not to be named said Washington decided to make its accusations public late last week when it discovered Russian company technicians in Baghdad aiding the Iraqis with the jamming system after the U.S.-led war began.

"They are there in Baghdad ... trying to make the system work, the jamming system," said the U.S. official.

"It was the discovery that there are ... Russian technicians helping to make this GPS jamming work in Baghdad that prompted the internal debate in the U.S. government about what to do and (whether) to go public," the official added.

Russia... "the new France."




1 posted on 03/24/2003 4:51:17 PM PST by Sabertooth
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To: CheneyChick; vikingchick; Victoria Delsoul; WIMom; one_particular_harbour; kmiller1k; mhking; ...
((((((growl)))))



2 posted on 03/24/2003 4:51:50 PM PST by Sabertooth
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To: Sabertooth; *war_list; W.O.T.; 11th_VA; Libertarianize the GOP; Free the USA; knak; Peach; ...
OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST
3 posted on 03/24/2003 4:53:48 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Where is Saddam?)
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To: Sabertooth
If we find Russians, take them out, summarily shoot them with an AK & dump them in the Tigris river....(just my opinion) Since the Russians say that they aren't there anyways, so who would miss them?
4 posted on 03/24/2003 4:54:25 PM PST by Teetop (democrats....... socialist.........whats the difference?)
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To: Sabertooth
Russia, France, Germany, China.....all the same.
5 posted on 03/24/2003 4:56:26 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: Sabertooth
I'm shocked!! Shocked, I tell ya!
6 posted on 03/24/2003 4:56:35 PM PST by AntiGuv (™)
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To: Sabertooth
Russia... "the new France."

Rather, nostalgia for the old Soviet Union, perhaps?

Well Putin, if you want to escalate this incident into another Cold War drama, go right ahead...
7 posted on 03/24/2003 4:57:41 PM PST by saluki_in_ohio (Gun control is the ability to hit your target!)
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To: Sabertooth
KGB Putin is not to be trusted. A leopard does not change his spots.
8 posted on 03/24/2003 4:57:47 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
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To: AntiGuv
Shocked and awed!! The UN is comprised of mostly criminals!!
9 posted on 03/24/2003 4:58:30 PM PST by whadizit
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To: Sabertooth
Hopefully these clowns will 'buy the farm' when the REAL bombing starts.
10 posted on 03/24/2003 4:58:54 PM PST by DoctorMichael (Liberalism = Evil)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Methinks we should address the bodies to Mr. Putin personally so he gets the message.
11 posted on 03/24/2003 5:00:05 PM PST by thoughtomator (Let's Roll!)
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To: thoughtomator
Perhaps we should tell Mr. Putin that we may "not help" the Chechens just like the Russians are "not helping" the Iraq regime.
12 posted on 03/24/2003 5:04:42 PM PST by jospehm20
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To: jospehm20
Well, we wouldn't help the Chechens anyway, they are a part of the larger problem that we are working on solving. Eventually we will have to help Russia in Chechnya. I don't think we will have all that much choice in the matter - if Chechnya becomes a zone of escape from the USA, plenty of radicals will be heading there.
13 posted on 03/24/2003 5:06:51 PM PST by thoughtomator (Let's Roll!)
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To: Sabertooth
Bright Idea: don't complain about it. Let them succeed in setting it up. Trace the jamming signal and ... reach out and touch whoever and/or whatever is at the source point. Depending on the heft of the touch and the proximity of the technicians, they might really become non-existent.
14 posted on 03/24/2003 5:07:20 PM PST by zeus54
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To: Sabertooth
Re #1

If this is true, Russia is not even sitting on the fence. She is on the other side. We will see if any Russians will be caught.

Not long ago, Russian oil company was caught talking to Iraqi opposition and kicked out by Saddam. I do not know how much good this technical assistance will do for Russia. Especially if America wins eventually despite their interference.

So what went on the Crawford Ranch between Dubya and Vlad ? Apparently they failed to reach any deal on Iraq, contrary to my expectation.

15 posted on 03/24/2003 5:08:13 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
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To: zeus54
Re #14

It would be nice if Americans will at least get hold of identifiable body (dead or alive). It is even better if American SpecOps can catch them and make them confess on TV.

16 posted on 03/24/2003 5:12:06 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
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To: Sabertooth
The Polish GROM commandos should round up all Russians in Iraq for questioning. Considering the Russian government denies their presence in Iraq, we could deny having them in custody. We should extract every bit of information we can from them.
17 posted on 03/24/2003 5:14:29 PM PST by Paleo Conservative (Time to bomb Saddam!)
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To: Sabertooth
Good find, Saber. BAD news. A speed bump on the road to victory, imho . . .
18 posted on 03/24/2003 5:18:50 PM PST by MeekOneGOP (Bu-bye Saddam! / Check out my Freeper site !: http://home.attbi.com/~freeper/wsb/index.html)
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To: Sabertooth
Not sure I was ever really buying that Russia was our "pal".
19 posted on 03/24/2003 5:21:14 PM PST by P.O.E. (God Bless and keep safe our troops.)
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To: thoughtomator
You are right. Of course I would not want us to help a bunch of radical Islamists. I was only saying make the suggestion and see if it works. Nothing lost in trying.
20 posted on 03/24/2003 5:21:54 PM PST by jospehm20
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