US and Russia in weapons clash
Kevin O'Flynn in Moscow and Oliver Burkeman in Washington
Tuesday March 25, 2003
The Guardian
The divide between Moscow and Washington on the war in Iraq grew even wider yesterday when George Bush telephoned Vladimir Putin over US claims that Russian firms were illegally selling military equipment to Baghdad. But officials in Moscow fiercely rebutted the accusations.
Mr Bush demanded that Moscow halt the supply of global positioning system jammers, night-vision goggles and anti-tank guided missiles - sales which would have contravened the sanctions on Iraq and which, the president told his Russian counterpart, could endanger US troops at war.
Delivering a protest to Russia at the weekend, Bush administration officials said they had "credible evidence" that Russian firms had delivered military equipment to Iraq.
"It's the kind of equipment that will put our young men and women in harm's way," the secretary of state, Colin Powell, told Fox News Channel yesterday.
Mr Putin "assured President Bush that he would look into it", Ari Fleischer, the White House press spokesman, said.
But Mr Ivanov, in remarks reported on Russian television, denied the charges. "The US side has asked us several times about possible supplies of banned equipment to Iraq," he said. "Our experts have checked these meticulously and the last answer was made on March 18. No facts proving US concerns have been found. If any proof is found of the breaking of sanctions in relation to Iraq then it will be looked at as a serious violation of the law," Mr Ivanov added.
The Washington Post said two Russian companies, Aviakonversiya and KBP Tula, were among a number of firms that had sent equipment to Iraq. KBP Tula is alleged to have supplied anti-tank guided missiles, with Aviakonversiya providing jamming devices that can confuse global positioning system guidance gear.
Washington had claimed that despite a year of discussions, Russian officials had done nothing to stop the sales. "This is a disregard for human life. It sickens my stomach," one US official told the Post.
Russian defence contractors said that the US was looking for excuses to cover up its poor performances in the war.
"The Americans just need to find a scapegoat to explain their failures in Iraq. I want to say that their statement is unfounded," Oleg Antonov, the director of Aviakonversiya, told the gazeta.ru website.
Washington claimed specialists from Aviakonversiya were in Iraq advising the military on how to use the equipment.
"Their agents can't find any chemical weapons and suddenly they announce that they saw our specialists in Iraq. I don't know who they found this time. Our representatives don't work there," Mr Antonov said.
"We have never delivered anything to Iraq," said Alexei Butenko, of KBP Tula.
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