Foreign Correspondence

[StephanieVanbryce]

Israel Seeks to Stop Missile Deal Between Russia and Syria, Officials Say
By Steve Weizman
Associated Press Writer Jan 12, 2005

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is trying to halt a weapons deal under which Russia agreed to supply advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, fearing the missiles could fall into the hands of Lebanese guerrillas, Israeli officials said Wednesday.
Israeli officials said the deal for the sale of the Igla SA-18s from Russia to Syria was signed several days ago. They are worried that the anti-aircraft missiles could be used by Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, who have attacked Israel's northern border. The United States also could be concerned the missiles could be obtained by Iraqi insurgents, analysts said.

A deputy Russian foreign minister is in the region to discuss the matter, Israeli officials said on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the deal, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said: "We have close contacts with the Russians. We had consultations over the past few days, and we hope to reach the necessary agreement."

The press service of Russia's main arms export company, Rosoboronexport, said it had no information that Russia was planning such a sale. No one was immediately available for comment at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Igla SA-18s are among the most sophisticated shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles available at the moment. Because of their simplicity, light weight and a built-in training system, they also are an ideal weapon for militants, military analysts said.

"We have enough problems on the ground with Syria and we don't need more problems from the sky," Vice Premier Shimon Peres said.

Israeli officials were looking at several options for dealing with the arms sale, including involving Washington.

But officials said Israel could decide to allow the deal to go through rather than risk its bilateral relations with Russia, which it has been working to improve since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Syrian President Bashar Assad is due to visit Russia Jan. 24-28.

Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir denied a report by the Moscow-daily Kommersant that Israel had recalled its ambassador in response to the deal. The ambassador is in Israel but was to return to Moscow later Wednesday or Thursday, Meir said.

Israeli analyst Gerald Steinberg said the report came as a surprise because the Syrians have not had money to buy Russian weapons for several years.

"If this report is true, it is very problematic and will pose a challenge to Israeli military planners," Steinberg said.

Israeli media reports say Assad was furious when Israeli jets buzzed one of his palaces while he was in residence and is determined to beef up his country's air defenses.

Paul Beaver, a London-based defense analyst, said Russia has been upgrading Syrian military equipment for years but has not sold the Arab country new arms since 1990.

Beaver described the SA-18 as the missile that evolved from the Russian shoulder-held Sam-7, which was widely used during the Vietnam War. The SA-18 gives the user more time to fire the missile, has a greater range and can target any part of an aircraft, not just the heat-emitting rear section.

The SA-18 also can cut through many Western defenses. For example, it is resistant to most flares, which are used by Western armies to put anti-aircraft missiles off track. The sophisticated missiles cost about $250,000 each, Beaver said.

Israeli-Russian relations have improved greatly in the past 15 years.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is of Russian descent, has visited Moscow three times since taking office in 2001. He repeatedly has asked President Vladimir Putin to act against what Israel contends is a covert Iranian nuclear arms program and to pressure Syria to rein in its Lebanese and Palestinian proxies.

In September, Israeli agents carried out a car bombing in Damascus, Syria, that killed a senior activist of the radical Palestinian Hamas movement.

In October 2003, Israeli warplanes bombed a Syrian base of the Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, in retaliation for a suicide bombing that killed 19 people at a restaurant in Haifa.

AP-ES-01-12-05 1223EST

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBSFX9SV3E.html