WarSclerotic

Kremlin: No Russian pledge on Syrian missile arms sale – Diplomacy & Defense – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

In meeting with Netanyahu, Putin did not commit not to provide Damascus with S-300 missiles systems, spokesman says; leaders agree to strengthen intelligence cooperation.

By Barak Ravid | May.15, 2013 | 7:14 PM |

Netanyahu and Putin attend a news conference in Sochi, May 14, 2013. Photo by Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not promise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country would not provide Syria with advanced S-300 anti-aircraft systems, Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday.

Speaking after a three-hour meeting between the two leaders in the resort city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast, spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Putin stressed that Russia’s stance on the missile sale has not changed.

The missile sale to Syria was one of the key issues raised by Netanyahu during his meeting with Putin. Israel fears delivery to the Syrian military of such advanced missiles, with a range of 200 kilometers, could alter the regional military balance of power and significantly limit the Israeli air force’s ability to operate both in
Syria and in Lebanon.

Peskov said Israel and Russia held in-depth talks, “including on sensitive security issues.” “The Israeli side raised the issue of the S-300 missiles once again, and we presented our stance on the matter,” he said. “They are familiar with it and have heard it once again.”

Last Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had no new plans to sell an advanced air defense system to the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but left open the possibility that it could ship such systems to Damascus under an existing contract.

Netanyahu arrived in Sochi on Tuesday morning and returned to Israel shortly before Shavuot. Accompanying Netanyahu were National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin and Netanyahu’s military secretary Eyal Zamir. An unusual addition to Netanyahu’s entourage was Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the IDF’s military intelligence chief. A senior Israeli official said that during the meeting with Putin, Kochavi presented Israel’s fresh intelligence concerning the situation in Syria.

Details of Kochavi’s briefing are unclear, but the intelligence he presented probably concerns chemical weapons and their use against the rebels in Syria’s civil war. Kochavi also provided information on the transfer of sophisticated arms from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Accompanying Putin in Sochi were the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Mikhail Fradkov, as well as several senior officials at the Russian Defense Ministry who are involved with the arms sales to Syria. Putin said at the end of the meeting that Netanyahu and him agreed to further discuss  the Syrian issue in person and to tighten intelligence cooperation between the two countries on this issue.

This entry was posted on May 16, 2013 at 6:46 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.