Russia will not deliver fighter jets to Syria as situation remains ‘unresolved’

Russia will not deliver Yak-130 fighter planes to Syria. Moscow reportedly signed an order to deliver 40 fighter-trainer jets to Damascus at the end of last year. (File Photo)

Russia will not deliver Yak-130 fighter planes to Syria while the situation there remains “unresolved,” the country's service for military cooperation said on Monday, according to the RIA news agency.

“In the current situation talking about deliveries of airplanes to Syria is premature,” Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy director of the service, told journalists at the Farnborough Airshow, RIA said.

Russia reportedly signed an order to deliver 40 fighter-trainer jets at the end of last year, despite controversy surrounding its arms sales to violence-torn Syria.

Putin urges for peace in Syria

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Syria needed dialogue between the regime and opposition rather than foreign intervention to ensure a lasting peace.

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Syria's fighting spills into Lebanon, five killed

(Reuters) - Syria's conflict spilled further into Lebanon on Saturday when mortar fire from President Bashar al-Assad's forces hit villages in the north, killing five people after rebels crossed the border to seek refuge, residents said.
Rebels fighting to unseat Assad have used north Lebanon as a base and his forces have at times bombed villages and even pursued insurgents over the border, threatening to stoke tension in Lebanon, whose sectarian divisions mirror those in Syria.
Residents of Lebanon's Wadi Khaled region said several mortar bombs hit farm buildings five to 20 km (3 to 12 miles) from the border at around 2 a.m. At midday villagers reported more explosions and said they heard gunfire close to the border.
In the village of al-Mahatta, a house was destroyed, killing a 16-year-old girl and wounding a two-year old and a four-year old, family members told Reuters. A 25-year-old woman and a man were killed in nearby villages, residents said.
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WikiLeaks Has Data From 2.4 Million Syrian Emails

LONDON - The secret-spilling group WikiLeaks said Thursday it was in the process of publishing material from 2.4 million Syrian emails - many of which it said came from official government accounts.
WikiLeaks' Sarah Harrison told journalists at London's Frontline Club that the emails reveal interactions between the Syrian government and Western companies, although she declined to go into much further detail.
Harrison quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as saying that "the material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's external opponents."
WikiLeaks posted only a handful of the documents to its website Thursday, but the disclosure - whose source WikiLeaks has not made clear - wouldn't be the first major leak of Syrian emails.

 

In February, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published excerpts of what it said were emails hacked from Syrian servers by Anonymous, the shadowy Internet activist group. In March, Britain's Guardian newspaper published emails it sourced to Syrian opposition activists.

 

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‘No to another Libya in Syria’s skies’ – Moscow

Gennady Gatilov. Photo: RIA Novosti

Russia has joined the international aid agencies working in Syria in opposing the proposal to declare a no-fly zone over the Middle Eastern country or establish ‘humanitarian corridors’ across Syrian territory.

Speaking in Moscow Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called attention to how NATO had used the no-fly zone declared over Libya for supporting anti-Gaddafi rebels. He said an end to the violence and an internal dialogue, not a no-fly zone, is what Syria really needs.

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Russia helped Syria shoot down Turkish plane, UK newspaper claims

Russian technicians played a key part in the shooting down of a Turkish jet near the Syrian coast late last month, sources told a British newspaper in a story published Sunday.

The Turkish RF-4E Phantom fighter jet was on a routine surveillance run when it was shot down by Syrian gunners near the coastal city of Latakia. The incident sparked a serious international incident, with Turkey sending tanks and anti-aircraft weapons to the Syrian border and Damascus responding with tanks of its own.

Turkey, which admits that the plane strayed into Syrian airspace, has promised to shoot down any Syrian plane that enters its territory.

According a Sunday Times of London report, the Russians and Syrians believed the plane was on a NATO mission to test Syria’s airspace and was shot down, in a split-second decision, to send a message to the organization.

Analysts had suspected Russian involvement in the incident, which drew harsh condemnations, but no military action, from NATO. Russia has protected Syrian President Bashar Assad in the UN Security Council and recently sent a number of refurbished helicopters to Damascus.

Russians supplies Syria with its anti-aircraft batteries and trained its soldiers on their use. Diplomats say the Russians are still on hand in Syria in an advisory role, the Sunday Times reported.

The story quotes an Israeli air force source as suggesting Russia had a hand in the incident: “We would not be surprised if these Russian experts, if they didn’t push the button, at least were beside the Syrian officers who did it.”

Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zubi said last week that Syrian soldiers who downed the plane may have thought it was an Israeli aircraft.

“Turkish planes and Israeli planes look alike,” the minister told the Turkish news station A Haber.

Al-Zubi also noted that the “Zionist country” was in the area, and that the Syrian military is on alert for Israeli aircraft.

“If an Israeli plane enters Syria, it is welcomed by fire. [The Turkish plane] might have been believed to be an Israeli plane; we did not want to take down a Turkish plane,” he said.

Syria has been embroiled in a nearly 18-month-long civil war as rebels attempt to oust Assad from power. Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has harbored fleeing rebels and called for Assad to step down.

Source :http://www.timesofisrael.com

Assad regrets downing of Turkish jet, says won’t allow open combat with Ankara

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regretted that his country’s defense forces shot down a Turkish fighter jet on June 22, he said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet published on Tuesday.

“The plane was flying in an air corridor used three times in the past by the Israeli air force,” he said, but added that he regretted the incident -- which has further fuelled tensions between the two former allies – “100 percent,” according to AFP.

Assad said that he would not allow the tensions between the two countries to turn into open combat.

“We learned that it (the plane) belonged to Turkey after shooting it down. I say 100 percent ‘if only we had not shot it down’,” the newspaper quoted Assad as saying.

His comments emerged as fighting raged throughout Syria to unseat Assad in what is increasingly taking on the character of an all-out civil war, fuelled by sectarian hatred.

Syrian helicopters bombarded a Damascus suburb on Monday and Turkey scrambled warplanes near the border in the north, as the U.N. human rights chief warned that arms supplies to both the government and rebels were deepening the 16-month conflict.

Asked whether the tensions between Syria and Turkey could lead to war, Assad said: “We will not allow (the tensions) to turn into open combat between the two countries, which would harm them both,” Reuters reported.

He also said Syria had not amassed and would not amass military forces along the Turkish border, whatever action Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government takes.

The paper did not specify when the interview was held, but in it Assad refers to an international meeting held in Geneva on Saturday under the auspices of peace envoy Kofi Annan.

Turkey has heightened military activity along its southern border since Syria shot down the Turkish jet over the Mediterranean on June 22, prompting a sharp rebuke from Ankara which said it would respond “decisively.”

Syria says it shot down the Turkish jet in self-defense and that it was brought down in Syrian air space. Turkey says the jet accidentally violated Syrian air space for a few minutes but was brought down in international air space.

Assad said Syria would not shy away from apologizing if it emerged that the plane was shot down in international airspace.

“The plane was using a corridor which Israeli planes have used three times before. Soldiers shot it down because we did not see it on our radar and because information was not given.”

“Of course I might have been happy if this had been an Israeli plane,” Assad said.

Having sheltered leaders of the Free Syrian Army and allowed them to operate from its territory for months, Ankara now seems signaling much clearer support for the opposition.

“What we now have today is a regime who has strayed so far away from a basic sense of rationality,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davotoglu told a Syrian opposition meeting in Cairo on Monday.

“The only interlocutor for Turkey in Syria is now the Syrian people,... that is the Syrian opposition, which means you.”

That seems likely to mean that Ankara will let the Gulf Arab states increase shipments of military supplies to FSA forces based in Turkey. For the opposition, they are sorely needed.

Western intelligence and special forces operatives already believed to be operating in Turkey may also be pressured to provide much greater support. So far, officials in Washington in particular say their primary task has been less to assist the rebels and much more to find out who they are and whether it might ever be safe to work with them more closely.

Source :Al Arabiya with Agencies

Russia Will Deliver First Mi-25 Gunships to Syria on Time - Arms Official

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time, a senior arms official said on Thursday.
The contract for the repair of the helicopters was signed by Russia and Syria in 2008, Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation director Alexander Fomin said.
"Syria is our friend, and we we fulfil all our obligations to our friends. According to the 2008 contract, we repaired three Mi-25s and are ready to deliver them on time," Fomin said on the sidelines of the Technology in Machine-Building 2012 exhibition at Zhukovsky near Moscow.
Fomin did not, however, disclose the overall number of helicopters in the contract. Media reports claiming Russia was to deliver 36 helicopters were false, he added.
The helicopters became the center of a diplomatic row earlier this month, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claiming Russia was supplying weapons that would be used to massacre civilian protesters.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied the claim, saying the helicopters had originally been supplied in the Soviet-era and were being returned to Syria under an existing contract. He also said military equipment being supplied to Syria was defensive in nature and could not be used against civilians.
A ship which was carrying the helicopters from Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad to Syria turned back last week and docked in Murmansk, after the British insurer of the vessel withdrew cover after being informed of the cargo.

© RIA Novosti.

Mi-24 attack helicopter

Source :http://en.rian.ru/

Russia Will Deliver First Mi-25 Gunships to Syria on Time - Arms Official

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time, a senior arms official said on Thursday.
The contract for the repair of the helicopters was signed by Russia and Syria in 2008, Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation director Alexander Fomin said.
"Syria is our friend, and we we fulfil all our obligations to our friends. According to the 2008 contract, we repaired three Mi-25s and are ready to deliver them on time," Fomin said on the sidelines of the Technology in Machine-Building 2012 exhibition at Zhukovsky near Moscow.
Fomin did not, however, disclose the overall number of helicopters in the contract. Media reports claiming Russia was to deliver 36 helicopters were false, he added.
The helicopters became the center of a diplomatic row earlier this month, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claiming Russia was supplying weapons that would be used to massacre civilian protesters.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied the claim, saying the helicopters had originally been supplied in the Soviet-era and were being returned to Syria under an existing contract. He also said military equipment being supplied to Syria was defensive in nature and could not be used against civilians.
A ship which was carrying the helicopters from Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad to Syria turned back last week and docked in Murmansk, after the British insurer of the vessel withdrew cover after being informed of the cargo.

© RIA Novosti.

Mi-24 attack helicopter

Source :http://en.rian.ru/

Turkish troops, anti-aircraft guns stationed on Syrian border

Turkey is deploying troops along its border with Syria after one of its jets was shot down by Syria over the Mediterranean last week, a Turkish official said on Thursday.

“I can confirm there are troops being deployed along the border in Hatay province. Turkey is taking precautions after its jet was shot down,” the official told Reuters news agency condition of anonymity.

He said he did not know how many troops or vehicles were being moved but said they were being stationed in the Yayladagi, Altinozu and Reyhanli border areas of Turkey’s southern Hatay province. He said anti-aircraft guns were being stationed along the border.

He could not confirm media reports of troop movements further east along the border in the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused neighboring Syria of a “hostile act” and “heinous attack” in shooting down the army jet in international airspace without warning.

“We did not receive a single warning, note from Syria (regarding airspace violation)...They acted without (warning). This is a hostile act,” Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting, in which he called the Syrian fire a “heinous attack.”

Turkish warplane should not be mistaken for weakness, warning Turkey’s wrath was as strong as its friendship was valuable.

Turkey was totally in the right over Syria’s “downing of an unarmed reconnaissance jet in international air space” last week, Erdogan said in a speech to his ruling AK Party deputies in parliament.

Erdogan said that the Turkish Armed Forces’ rules of engagement have changed and they will respond to any violation on the Syrian border.

Turkey would not engage in war-mongering, but the attack on the reconnaissance jet, which was deliberately targeted, would not be left unanswered, Erdogan said.

The downing of the jet has aggravated tense ties between the two neighbors. Turkey has repeatedly called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down as 33,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey, fleeing a government crackdown on a popular uprising.

But Russia, a long-time Syrian ally, on Tuesday said Syria’s shooting down of the Turkish warplane should not be seen as a provocation and warned world powers against using the incident to push for stronger action against Damascus.

Turkey’s NATO allies on Tuesday condemned Syria’s action as unacceptable but stopped short of threatening any military response. Turkey also plans to approach the U.N. Security Council.

“We think it is important that what happened is not viewed as a provocation or a premeditated action (by Syria),” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Source :AL ARABIYA WITH REUTERS

Turkish troops, anti-aircraft guns stationed on Syrian border

Turkey is deploying troops along its border with Syria after one of its jets was shot down by Syria over the Mediterranean last week, a Turkish official said on Thursday.

“I can confirm there are troops being deployed along the border in Hatay province. Turkey is taking precautions after its jet was shot down,” the official told Reuters news agency condition of anonymity.

He said he did not know how many troops or vehicles were being moved but said they were being stationed in the Yayladagi, Altinozu and Reyhanli border areas of Turkey’s southern Hatay province. He said anti-aircraft guns were being stationed along the border.

He could not confirm media reports of troop movements further east along the border in the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused neighboring Syria of a “hostile act” and “heinous attack” in shooting down the army jet in international airspace without warning.

“We did not receive a single warning, note from Syria (regarding airspace violation)...They acted without (warning). This is a hostile act,” Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting, in which he called the Syrian fire a “heinous attack.”

Turkish warplane should not be mistaken for weakness, warning Turkey’s wrath was as strong as its friendship was valuable.

Turkey was totally in the right over Syria’s “downing of an unarmed reconnaissance jet in international air space” last week, Erdogan said in a speech to his ruling AK Party deputies in parliament.

Erdogan said that the Turkish Armed Forces’ rules of engagement have changed and they will respond to any violation on the Syrian border.

Turkey would not engage in war-mongering, but the attack on the reconnaissance jet, which was deliberately targeted, would not be left unanswered, Erdogan said.

The downing of the jet has aggravated tense ties between the two neighbors. Turkey has repeatedly called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down as 33,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey, fleeing a government crackdown on a popular uprising.

But Russia, a long-time Syrian ally, on Tuesday said Syria’s shooting down of the Turkish warplane should not be seen as a provocation and warned world powers against using the incident to push for stronger action against Damascus.

Turkey’s NATO allies on Tuesday condemned Syria’s action as unacceptable but stopped short of threatening any military response. Turkey also plans to approach the U.N. Security Council.

“We think it is important that what happened is not viewed as a provocation or a premeditated action (by Syria),” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Source :AL ARABIYA WITH REUTERS

Russia halts plans to supply S-300 missile system to Syria - reports

S-300 missile system (RIA Novosti/Mikhail Fomichev)

Russia’s main weapons producer has allegedly suspended its contract with Syria to supply S-300 long-range missile systems. Russia’s ‘Vedomosti’ daily published the report, citing unnamed sources within the military-industrial complex.
The very fact of the contract’s existence was not known until it was revealed in an annual report made only last week and published online by the makers of the S-300 systems, Almaz-Antey.
The report states that the company’s largest contracts are with Algeria (which is paying $39 million for a long-range missile defense system), and Syria, which signed a contract for the same system for $105 million.
The report also says that deliveries on the Syrian contract are expected to be made between 2012 and 2013. But ‘Vedomosti’ claims two separate sources, who chose to remain anonymous, have said deliveries have been put on the back-burner “after a direct order from above.”
It’s unclear whether these reports are true, but many are already speculating on the potential reasons for such a step. Some have suggested that Moscow has decided to placate Washington and Tel Aviv, drawing parallels between this situation and the one back in 2010, when Russia cancelled its contract for the same missile system with Iran.
However, the circumstances in 2010 were rather different. If Russia had fulfilled its contractual obligations back then, it would have been violating an international embargo. But no such embargo currently affects contracts between Russia and Syria.
Others have suggested that Damascus may be strapped for cash, and simply cannot afford the S-300 complex. This claim is also open to speculation as military cooperation between the two states is basically founded on the fact that Russia forgave Syria its $10 billion debt in return for future arms contracts.
No officials have yet commented on the matter, so it will be some time before light is shed on the situation. But President Vladimir Putin had previously said the arms that Russia delivers cannot be used in civil conflicts, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, stated the supplies were merely defensive weapons sold in contracts signed long ago.
“We are sending no battleships to Syria. We have been saying publicly that we have been implementing contracts under which we have to supply arms to Syria. These armaments are entirely defensive and they mostly consist of air defense systems, which cannot be used against the population and can only be used to respond to outside aggression,” Lavrov told RT.

Russia's military trade with Syria

Attention has been focused on military ties between Russia and Syria for some time, ever since international media claimed Russia was supplying helicopters to Bashar al-Assad’s regime. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at first even lashed out at Russia, but later backtracked and was forced to admit that the shipment that had got the West’s blood boiling merely consisted of some old helicopters sent back to Russia for repairs.
Although the Russian Ministry of Defense does not disclose the total value of the arms supplied to Syria, outside estimates exist. The US Congress says Russia has outstanding contracts to supply arms for $3.5 billion, while the Swedish think-tank SIPRI puts the figure at between $5 and $6 billion.
Among the widely reported shipments are two K-300 Bastion coastal defense batteries, equipped with supersonic Yakhont missiles. Two anti-aircraft systems, BUK-M2 and PANTSYR-S1, have also been purchased by Syria, though it is unclear if the orders have been fulfilled.
A $550 million contract for 36 Yak-130 planes was signed between the countries earlier this year. While nominally a sophisticated training jet, it can also serve as a light combat aircraft. Russia has also promised to deliver 24 modernized Mig-29 destroyers. It is assumed that neither of these contracts has been fulfilled.

Source :http://www.rt.com

Russia halts plans to supply S-300 missile system to Syria - reports

S-300 missile system (RIA Novosti/Mikhail Fomichev)

Russia’s main weapons producer has allegedly suspended its contract with Syria to supply S-300 long-range missile systems. Russia’s ‘Vedomosti’ daily published the report, citing unnamed sources within the military-industrial complex.
The very fact of the contract’s existence was not known until it was revealed in an annual report made only last week and published online by the makers of the S-300 systems, Almaz-Antey.
The report states that the company’s largest contracts are with Algeria (which is paying $39 million for a long-range missile defense system), and Syria, which signed a contract for the same system for $105 million.
The report also says that deliveries on the Syrian contract are expected to be made between 2012 and 2013. But ‘Vedomosti’ claims two separate sources, who chose to remain anonymous, have said deliveries have been put on the back-burner “after a direct order from above.”
It’s unclear whether these reports are true, but many are already speculating on the potential reasons for such a step. Some have suggested that Moscow has decided to placate Washington and Tel Aviv, drawing parallels between this situation and the one back in 2010, when Russia cancelled its contract for the same missile system with Iran.
However, the circumstances in 2010 were rather different. If Russia had fulfilled its contractual obligations back then, it would have been violating an international embargo. But no such embargo currently affects contracts between Russia and Syria.
Others have suggested that Damascus may be strapped for cash, and simply cannot afford the S-300 complex. This claim is also open to speculation as military cooperation between the two states is basically founded on the fact that Russia forgave Syria its $10 billion debt in return for future arms contracts.
No officials have yet commented on the matter, so it will be some time before light is shed on the situation. But President Vladimir Putin had previously said the arms that Russia delivers cannot be used in civil conflicts, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, stated the supplies were merely defensive weapons sold in contracts signed long ago.
“We are sending no battleships to Syria. We have been saying publicly that we have been implementing contracts under which we have to supply arms to Syria. These armaments are entirely defensive and they mostly consist of air defense systems, which cannot be used against the population and can only be used to respond to outside aggression,” Lavrov told RT.

Russia's military trade with Syria

Attention has been focused on military ties between Russia and Syria for some time, ever since international media claimed Russia was supplying helicopters to Bashar al-Assad’s regime. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at first even lashed out at Russia, but later backtracked and was forced to admit that the shipment that had got the West’s blood boiling merely consisted of some old helicopters sent back to Russia for repairs.
Although the Russian Ministry of Defense does not disclose the total value of the arms supplied to Syria, outside estimates exist. The US Congress says Russia has outstanding contracts to supply arms for $3.5 billion, while the Swedish think-tank SIPRI puts the figure at between $5 and $6 billion.
Among the widely reported shipments are two K-300 Bastion coastal defense batteries, equipped with supersonic Yakhont missiles. Two anti-aircraft systems, BUK-M2 and PANTSYR-S1, have also been purchased by Syria, though it is unclear if the orders have been fulfilled.
A $550 million contract for 36 Yak-130 planes was signed between the countries earlier this year. While nominally a sophisticated training jet, it can also serve as a light combat aircraft. Russia has also promised to deliver 24 modernized Mig-29 destroyers. It is assumed that neither of these contracts has been fulfilled.

Source :http://www.rt.com

Turkey starts launching military convoy at Turkey Syria border / Long distance guns deployed

Turkish Forces move towards Syrian border !

Turkey launches first wave of military convoy to Turkish Syrian border. The large military shipment reported to include lond-distance guns towed and self-propelled howitzers.

Hatay, Turkey / Nationalturk – Turkey has initiated deployment of a large number of military vehicles to the Turkey Syria border, not far away to the point where the Turkish military jet was gunned down by Syrian air defense.
The military shipment contains 15 armored tanks, in addition to long-distance guns, towed and self-propelled howitzers and other military vehicles with weapon systems. The Turkish convoy of Turkish armed forces is reported to be heavily guarded as it moves toward the Syrian border in the event of an attack by outlawed Kurdish Terrorists from Kurdistan Worker’s Party.

Turkey seeks retaliation : Turkey shifts military force at Syria border

Turkish Military units and all armed forces reportedly increased security measures and have toughened their rules of engagement on the Turkey Syria border after Syria downed an Turkish air force jet on international airspace.

Turkey Syria Crisis : Move of intimidation or intervention : Turkish forces move toward Syria border

Syria Turkey crisis over downed Turkish military jet has turned today into a new era as Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan threatened Syria openly for the first time with these words: Syria is ‘ a clear and present danger’ for Turkey, retaliation is imminent, any Syrian military unit closing Turkish border will be destroyed at spot !

Source :http://www.nationalturk.com

Turkey starts launching military convoy at Turkey Syria border / Long distance guns deployed

Turkish Forces move towards Syrian border !

Turkey launches first wave of military convoy to Turkish Syrian border. The large military shipment reported to include lond-distance guns towed and self-propelled howitzers.

Hatay, Turkey / Nationalturk – Turkey has initiated deployment of a large number of military vehicles to the Turkey Syria border, not far away to the point where the Turkish military jet was gunned down by Syrian air defense.
The military shipment contains 15 armored tanks, in addition to long-distance guns, towed and self-propelled howitzers and other military vehicles with weapon systems. The Turkish convoy of Turkish armed forces is reported to be heavily guarded as it moves toward the Syrian border in the event of an attack by outlawed Kurdish Terrorists from Kurdistan Worker’s Party.

Turkey seeks retaliation : Turkey shifts military force at Syria border

Turkish Military units and all armed forces reportedly increased security measures and have toughened their rules of engagement on the Turkey Syria border after Syria downed an Turkish air force jet on international airspace.

Turkey Syria Crisis : Move of intimidation or intervention : Turkish forces move toward Syria border

Syria Turkey crisis over downed Turkish military jet has turned today into a new era as Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan threatened Syria openly for the first time with these words: Syria is ‘ a clear and present danger’ for Turkey, retaliation is imminent, any Syrian military unit closing Turkish border will be destroyed at spot !

Source :http://www.nationalturk.com

Syria to get more arms from Russia soon: think-tank

Russia is expected to start delivering helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year. (AFP)

inShare

Russia is expected to deliver air defense systems, reconditioned helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year worth nearly half a billion dollars despite international pressure to halt arms sales to Damascus, a defense think-tank said on Tuesday.

The report, by CAST, a Moscow-based think tank, is likely to fuel concerns that Russia is supplying President Bashar al-Assad with arms that are being used against protesters taking part in an uprising against him and air defense systems that could be deployed in the event of international military intervention.

Obtained by Reuters before publication, the report shows a series of contracts that were signed between 2005 and 2007 are at the heart of Russia’s arms sales to Syria, which has been rocked by a vicious cycle of violence for the last 16 months.

The deals were signed long before the start of the rebellion in Syria and after Moscow wrote off some 70 percent of Syria’s $13.4 billion debt to Russia and the former Soviet Union, a stumbling block that froze Moscow’s arms cooperation with Damascus throughout the 1990s.

Russia is expected to start delivering 12 top-of-the-line MiG-29 fighter jets this year and to deliver a batch of repaired Mi-25 attack helicopters, the report said.

It said air defense systems expected to be delivered to Syria this year included the Buk-M2E, which Moscow began delivering in 2010, and Pantsir-S1 armored rocket complexes, which are designed to help protect troops against air attacks.

President Vladimir Putin has said the arms that Russia delivers cannot be used in civil conflicts and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the supplies are defensive weapons sold in contracts signed long ago.

But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Russian statements that the weapons are unrelated to the violence inside the country are “patently untrue”.

The capabilities of Syria’s air defense systems, which are almost completely supplied by Russian manufacturers, are in focus following its shooting down of a Turkish jet last week, an act that increased regional tensions.

Air defense

The $600 million contract for the MiG-29s includes an option for 12 more to be delivered. At least one prototype was completed by the end of last year.

“According to information we have obtained, the delivery of the first part (and perhaps all 12 airplanes) to Syria is expected at the end of 2012,” the report said.

The jets are expected to be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-surface rockets, giving them the capability to flout any “no fly zone” over Syria.

France has said a no fly zone is being considered as part of international efforts to end the crisis in Syria. A no fly zone was also imposed over Libya during the conflict there last year.

“Syria’s air defense systems are better than Libya’s,” said Ruslan Aliyev, one of the authors of the report, which will be published in the group’s Moscow Defense Brief later this year.

“On the one hand, Syria has tough, solid air defense systems of many different kinds, but what condition they are in and whether Syria is properly trained to use them is a different question ... the only real way of knowing what shape it’s in is to test it,” he told Reuters by phone.

Moscow is also obliged to fulfill a contract for 36 of the Pantsir-S1 armored rocket complexes. Twelve have already been delivered and the contract is expected to be fulfilled by 2013.

A change of stance?

The report did not mention accusations - made by a Syrian defense official who defected as well as by rebels - that deliveries of Russian small arms have increased since the uprising against Assad’s 14-year rule began..

The report from CAST, which maintains good relations with Russia’s arms industry, also made no mention of contracts between Moscow and Damascus for BMP-2 vehicles, which amateur videos show operating in Homs and other cities during army shelling.

Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with the power of veto, has been one of Assad’s staunchest allies and has shielded Syria from harsher international sanctions.

But the report suggested Russia would be amenable to freezing arms sales if it was convinced it was in its interests to end its relationship with Assad.

“Arms cooperation with Syria does not carry so much importance for Russia, neither on a commercial nor a defense relationship,” it said.

“If there is a break in future deliveries to Syria, it is probable that (state arms dealer) Rosoboronexport would not have any difficulty in giving the arms ordered by the Syrians ... to a third country.”

Russia has already frozen the delivery of an S-300 missile system as well as Iskander missiles, the report said, following concerns expressed by Israel that the systems could end up in the hands of the Iranian-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah.

A ship reportedly left Russia on Sunday carrying the delivery of Mi-25 helicopters after a failed attempt earlier this month. The delivery was initially stopped after its insurer withdrew its policy last week.

Source :Reuters MOSCOW

Syria to get more arms from Russia soon: think-tank

Russia is expected to start delivering helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year. (AFP)

inShare

Russia is expected to deliver air defense systems, reconditioned helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year worth nearly half a billion dollars despite international pressure to halt arms sales to Damascus, a defense think-tank said on Tuesday.

The report, by CAST, a Moscow-based think tank, is likely to fuel concerns that Russia is supplying President Bashar al-Assad with arms that are being used against protesters taking part in an uprising against him and air defense systems that could be deployed in the event of international military intervention.

Obtained by Reuters before publication, the report shows a series of contracts that were signed between 2005 and 2007 are at the heart of Russia’s arms sales to Syria, which has been rocked by a vicious cycle of violence for the last 16 months.

The deals were signed long before the start of the rebellion in Syria and after Moscow wrote off some 70 percent of Syria’s $13.4 billion debt to Russia and the former Soviet Union, a stumbling block that froze Moscow’s arms cooperation with Damascus throughout the 1990s.

Russia is expected to start delivering 12 top-of-the-line MiG-29 fighter jets this year and to deliver a batch of repaired Mi-25 attack helicopters, the report said.

It said air defense systems expected to be delivered to Syria this year included the Buk-M2E, which Moscow began delivering in 2010, and Pantsir-S1 armored rocket complexes, which are designed to help protect troops against air attacks.

President Vladimir Putin has said the arms that Russia delivers cannot be used in civil conflicts and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the supplies are defensive weapons sold in contracts signed long ago.

But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Russian statements that the weapons are unrelated to the violence inside the country are “patently untrue”.

The capabilities of Syria’s air defense systems, which are almost completely supplied by Russian manufacturers, are in focus following its shooting down of a Turkish jet last week, an act that increased regional tensions.

Air defense

The $600 million contract for the MiG-29s includes an option for 12 more to be delivered. At least one prototype was completed by the end of last year.

“According to information we have obtained, the delivery of the first part (and perhaps all 12 airplanes) to Syria is expected at the end of 2012,” the report said.

The jets are expected to be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-surface rockets, giving them the capability to flout any “no fly zone” over Syria.

France has said a no fly zone is being considered as part of international efforts to end the crisis in Syria. A no fly zone was also imposed over Libya during the conflict there last year.

“Syria’s air defense systems are better than Libya’s,” said Ruslan Aliyev, one of the authors of the report, which will be published in the group’s Moscow Defense Brief later this year.

“On the one hand, Syria has tough, solid air defense systems of many different kinds, but what condition they are in and whether Syria is properly trained to use them is a different question ... the only real way of knowing what shape it’s in is to test it,” he told Reuters by phone.

Moscow is also obliged to fulfill a contract for 36 of the Pantsir-S1 armored rocket complexes. Twelve have already been delivered and the contract is expected to be fulfilled by 2013.

A change of stance?

The report did not mention accusations - made by a Syrian defense official who defected as well as by rebels - that deliveries of Russian small arms have increased since the uprising against Assad’s 14-year rule began..

The report from CAST, which maintains good relations with Russia’s arms industry, also made no mention of contracts between Moscow and Damascus for BMP-2 vehicles, which amateur videos show operating in Homs and other cities during army shelling.

Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with the power of veto, has been one of Assad’s staunchest allies and has shielded Syria from harsher international sanctions.

But the report suggested Russia would be amenable to freezing arms sales if it was convinced it was in its interests to end its relationship with Assad.

“Arms cooperation with Syria does not carry so much importance for Russia, neither on a commercial nor a defense relationship,” it said.

“If there is a break in future deliveries to Syria, it is probable that (state arms dealer) Rosoboronexport would not have any difficulty in giving the arms ordered by the Syrians ... to a third country.”

Russia has already frozen the delivery of an S-300 missile system as well as Iskander missiles, the report said, following concerns expressed by Israel that the systems could end up in the hands of the Iranian-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah.

A ship reportedly left Russia on Sunday carrying the delivery of Mi-25 helicopters after a failed attempt earlier this month. The delivery was initially stopped after its insurer withdrew its policy last week.

Source :Reuters MOSCOW

Russian Navy Holds on to Its Syria Base

Viktor Chirkov

Russia has no plans to abandon its naval base in Tartus, Syria, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Monday.
“We need that base,” he said. “It will continue to operate as it has until now.”
The Russian Navy needs the base to provide maintenance and technical support to Russian warships in the Mediterranean, as well as those on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, he said.

Chirkov’s statement comes days after Russia repeatedly denied media reports that it was sending warships to Syria and delivering weapons to the Middle Eastern country.
According to UN estimates, about 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of a popular uprising against President Assad in March 2011, which started with peaceful protests but has since grown into a low-level civil war.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Russian Navy Holds on to Its Syria Base

Viktor Chirkov

Russia has no plans to abandon its naval base in Tartus, Syria, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Monday.
“We need that base,” he said. “It will continue to operate as it has until now.”
The Russian Navy needs the base to provide maintenance and technical support to Russian warships in the Mediterranean, as well as those on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, he said.

Chirkov’s statement comes days after Russia repeatedly denied media reports that it was sending warships to Syria and delivering weapons to the Middle Eastern country.
According to UN estimates, about 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of a popular uprising against President Assad in March 2011, which started with peaceful protests but has since grown into a low-level civil war.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

EU Condemns Syria’s Downing of Turkish Jet, Urges Probe

F-4 Phantom

BRUSSELS, June 25 (RIA Novosti)

The foreign ministers of 27 EU members states condemned on Monday Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish military plane and urged a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The European Union notes that this is a matter which needs to be investigated thoroughly and urgently,” the EU Council of Ministers said in a statement.
Syria downed a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet on June 22, saying that it had violated Syria’s airspace.
Turkey said the unarmed plane, which was on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities, had unintentionally crossed into Syria's airspace, but was a mile inside international airspace when it was shot down.
Syria said it was unaware that the jet belonged to Turkey and that it was protecting its air space against an unknown intruder.
The incident has further increased tensions between the former allies, whose relations have suffered a dramatic setback over the Syrian government’s response to a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The EU has called on Syria to “cooperate fully with Turkey and allow full access for an immediate investigation, and for the international community to give its support to such efforts.”
NATO member Turkey has long been seeking membership in the European Union.
Ankara has called a meeting of NATO member states on Tuesday to discuss the incident. In line with NATO’s founding treaty, any ally can request such consultations if they feel their territorial integrity or security have been threatened.
The wreckage of the downed jet has been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, while its two pilots are still missing.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko expressed hope on Monday that NATO would not take any action that would escalate tensions over Syria and undermine international efforts to settle the 16-month-old crisis there.
“Turkey’s turning to the NATO Council in line with Article 4 [of NATO's charter] can be considered a very alarming signal that there is [a possibility of] escalation around Syria,” Grushko, whose is expected to become Russia’s new envoy to NATO, told RIA Novosti.
The international community should make all efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, he said, adding “control over the process should remain in the hands of the United Nations Security Council.”
Russian military experts said on Monday the Turkish jet was likely to have been performing a surveillance flight to test Syria’s air defense systems.
“Syria has an effective air defense system,” said Igor Korotchenko, who heads the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade.
When the Syrian military made the decision to open fire, they “qualified the target located in the country’s airspace as hostile,” he said.
Turkey’s intelligence has been active in Syria, and “all information obtained in Syria certainly becomes available to other NATO members,” the analyst said.
Another Russian military expert, Said Amminov, agreed that the incident demonstrated the effectiveness of Syria’s air defenses, which largely rely on Russian-produced Buk, Pechora and Pantsyr defense systems, as well as on Soviet-made S-200 complexes.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

EU Condemns Syria’s Downing of Turkish Jet, Urges Probe

F-4 Phantom

BRUSSELS, June 25 (RIA Novosti)

The foreign ministers of 27 EU members states condemned on Monday Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish military plane and urged a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The European Union notes that this is a matter which needs to be investigated thoroughly and urgently,” the EU Council of Ministers said in a statement.
Syria downed a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet on June 22, saying that it had violated Syria’s airspace.
Turkey said the unarmed plane, which was on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities, had unintentionally crossed into Syria's airspace, but was a mile inside international airspace when it was shot down.
Syria said it was unaware that the jet belonged to Turkey and that it was protecting its air space against an unknown intruder.
The incident has further increased tensions between the former allies, whose relations have suffered a dramatic setback over the Syrian government’s response to a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The EU has called on Syria to “cooperate fully with Turkey and allow full access for an immediate investigation, and for the international community to give its support to such efforts.”
NATO member Turkey has long been seeking membership in the European Union.
Ankara has called a meeting of NATO member states on Tuesday to discuss the incident. In line with NATO’s founding treaty, any ally can request such consultations if they feel their territorial integrity or security have been threatened.
The wreckage of the downed jet has been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, while its two pilots are still missing.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko expressed hope on Monday that NATO would not take any action that would escalate tensions over Syria and undermine international efforts to settle the 16-month-old crisis there.
“Turkey’s turning to the NATO Council in line with Article 4 [of NATO's charter] can be considered a very alarming signal that there is [a possibility of] escalation around Syria,” Grushko, whose is expected to become Russia’s new envoy to NATO, told RIA Novosti.
The international community should make all efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, he said, adding “control over the process should remain in the hands of the United Nations Security Council.”
Russian military experts said on Monday the Turkish jet was likely to have been performing a surveillance flight to test Syria’s air defense systems.
“Syria has an effective air defense system,” said Igor Korotchenko, who heads the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade.
When the Syrian military made the decision to open fire, they “qualified the target located in the country’s airspace as hostile,” he said.
Turkey’s intelligence has been active in Syria, and “all information obtained in Syria certainly becomes available to other NATO members,” the analyst said.
Another Russian military expert, Said Amminov, agreed that the incident demonstrated the effectiveness of Syria’s air defenses, which largely rely on Russian-produced Buk, Pechora and Pantsyr defense systems, as well as on Soviet-made S-200 complexes.

Source :http://en.rian.ru