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| By: israelinsider staff and partners |
| Published: April 26, 2005 |
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The day before Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrival to Israel, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Moscow intends to go ahead with its sale of Strelets missile systems to Syria.
"This will not harm the balance of forces in the region," the Interfax news agency quoted Ivanov as saying. "In our estimation, Israel significantly surpasses Syria in military terms."
Israel is opposed to the intended sale, which Russian officials have insisted is a purely defensive weapon. Ivanov said that the missiles could not be used to attack Israel because their range is 4 to 5 kilometers, adding that calling such a system portable was "like saying submarines can fly."
He also said that Russia would reserve the right to make inspections of the sites where the missles are deployed, on demand.
In an interview last week, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that his government opposed the sale not because it was to an Arab nation, but because the weapons could reach terrorist organizations. Syria hosts the headquarters of the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and also has close ties with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.
Sharon intended to discuss the matter with Putin on his arrival to Israel tomorrow.
The AP contributed to this report |
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