East vs. West: Russia becoming mired in more of the world’s deadliest conflicts
February 14, 2013 – AFRICA - Russia said Wednesday it was delivering military hardware and light weapons to the governments of Syria and Mali, as it expands sales and maintains its footing in some of the world’s deadliest conflicts. The head of Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin, said Russian deliveries to the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad included air defence systems but not the advanced Iskander missiles sought by Damascus. “We are continuing to fulfill our obligations on contracts for the delivery of military hardware,” Isaikin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He also rejected reports that Russia was planning to supply advanced MiG29-M fighters to Damascus while confirming that it had a deal outstanding for Yak-130 trainer jets. Isaikin said Syria currently ranked “13th or 14th in terms of volume” on the list of nations receiving Russian arms supplies. Russia has been repeatedly condemned by Western and Arab nations for maintaining links to the Syrian government despite violence that UN estimates show has claimed more than 70,000 lives. Its shipment this year of repaired attack helicopters to the regime was disclosed by the media and drew a furious response from former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Isaikin also revealed that Moscow had recent military contacts with the government of Mali as it wages a French-led campaign to expel armed groups of Islamic militants from its land. He said small amounts of light weapons were already being delivered to Mali and that new sales were under discussion. “We have delivered firearms. Literally two weeks ago another consignment was sent. These are completely legal deliveries,” said Isaikin said. “We are in talks about sending more, in small quantities.” –Space Daily
Japan proposes military hotline with China -The Japanese government wants to move ahead with the creation of an emergency military hot line with China as tensions remain high over allegations Beijing used weapons-targeting radar against Japanese naval forces, Parliamentary Secretary for Defense Masahisa Sato said Tuesday. Mr. Sato—an upper house lawmaker and the third-most-senior elected official overseeing the defense ministry after the minister and vice minister—also said he hoped Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama would discuss security issues at a planned summit later this month. Mr. Sato described the alleged radar-locking incidents as “outrageous.” He said he was disappointed with Beijing’s rebuttal that Tokyo’s accusations were baseless and aimed at stoking tensions between the two countries. “A hot line may not be enough. We’d also like to consider creating a framework where vessels of both parties can directly communicate on-site to avoid such incidents,” he said in an interview. On Friday, China denied Japanese accusations that Chinese naval ships locked weapons-guiding radar on two occasions in January—once on a naval vessel, and once on a helicopter. Chinese officials said normal radar—not weapons-targeting radar—was used in both instances, blaming close monitoring by Japanese forces for aggravating the situation. The U.S. supports Japan’s claims. A State Department spokesperson said Monday it believed the incidents took place as Japan describes them. “In normal circumstances, such radar is directed when attacking an opposing ship. Doing this as a mere act of provocation is just inconceivable in light of common military custom,” Mr. Sato said. “Generally speaking, a weaker military would have fired shots” in response to such moves. No shots were fired, but Prime Minister Abe has demanded that Beijing apologize. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Saturday the government may release evidence of the radar-locking incidents. -WSJ
