U.S. Has Questions on Russian Arms Sent to Iraq

[Flagg]

U.S. Has Questions on Russian Arms Sent to Iraq

TBILISI, Georgia (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said Sunday there are still unanswered questions about Russian military equipment that U.S. officials believe made its way to Iraq (news - web sites) before last year's U.S. invasion.


U.S. officials last year said they believed private Russian firms sold Iraq antitank missiles, night-vision goggles and electronic jamming systems and that private sector technicians went to Baghdad to train Iraqis to use the jamming equipment.


"There are still some outstanding questions in my mind," Powell told a news conference in Tbilisi, where he was attending the inauguration of Mikhail Saakashvili as Georgia's new president before flying to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.


U.S. officials from President Bush (news - web sites) on down have complained to Russia about the equipment sales, which Washington feared could have endangered U.S. forces who toppled former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


Powell said he had raised the issue before with Ivanov but did not





http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040125/pl_nm/iraq_usa_russia_dc&cid=615&ncid=1478

[displacedtexan]

1. But no question about the arms we sold Iraq?

Interesting...

[Cannikin]

2. Stole my thunder, tex

I was going to say the same thing!

[DarkSim]

3. No crap, the russian "private sector" sold weapons to iraq.

i had a friend in iraq working for the military as an electrician and the first thing he told me was that "all the sh*t was russian, man".


i'm not sure how much credibility he has but i personally do trust him.

[hadrons]

4. so much for your "soul-seeing" abilities Dumbya the Drunk ....

Ivanov, just offer Colin some $$$ and he'll shut up

[jonoboy]

5. yeh haul in everyone who dealt with Saddam...Bush Snr & Rummy first

[0007]

6. What's good for the goose is good for the gander

“Everyone turns and takes a gander at the yokels” (Garrison Keillor).

[teryang]

7. I expect that the Russians and the Chinese

...would covertly support the resistance against the American occupying force in Iraq for strategic reasons. What goes around comes around.

If there is any follow through on the foolish notion to proceed against Iran or Syria, the covert support will increase a significant and obvious degree where practicable. American aggression against N.Korea will resort in outright war with China.

[Mikimouse]

8. News Flash...

Russia has questions about US arms shipped to Afghanistan. It was reported to day that Russia has accused the US of sending advanced shoulder launched missles to Afghan rebels, and that the rebels have succeeded in using the missles to destroy Russian Hind helicopters. Many of these Hind helicopters were carrying Russian troops from one area of operations to another and were not actively engaged in attaks on Afghan civilians. The US has denied any connection with the Afghan rebels.

What goes around, comes around.