Russian Weapons Diverted By Syria to Hizballah
EUP20070207085006 Berlin Die Welt in German 06 Feb 07

[Report by Jacques Schuster: "Secret Service: Syria
Supplies Weapons to Hizballah"]
[With thanks to www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm ]

A few days ago, the radical organization reportedly obtained numerous
antitank weapons. The source of the material is Russia, which apparently had
no idea of the transfer of the weapons to Hizballah. However, the problem
per se is not new.

On 31 January of this year, a Russian transport plane landed at the Damascus
airport carrying 600 containers of Russian antitank weapons. Representatives
of the Shiite extremist organization Hizballah and of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards were waiting on the runway. While a Syrian officer
watched, they had about 100 containers loaded onto trucks. The shipment went
to the Hizballah fighters in Lebanon.

This information comes from Western secret service sources, who passed it on
to WELT.de. The documents indicate that the Russian suppliers knew nothing
about their weapons being handed on to Hizballah. While the arms deal as
such is based on Russian-Syrian treaties, the delivery to Hizballah violates
UN Resolution 1701, adopted on 11 August of last year shortly after the war
in Lebanon. It forbids supplying the Lebanese militias with weapons.

For some time now the Russian Government has been trying to stop its weapons
being transferred to Hizballah. Syria had already frequently diverted some
of the Russian arms deliveries to its allies in Lebanon. Officially,
Damascus has always said the weapons were stolen from Syrian military camps
in Lebanon.

As a result of these treaty violations, as of this March the Russians will
have all arms trade with Syria go through its state arms export company
Rosoboronexport. The goal is to improve the control mechanisms over the
deliveries. Middle East experts are doubtful whether the Syrians will be
impressed with this. Whatever the case, according to secret service sources
the Syrians this week broke up a smuggling ring as a demonstration of their
determination. The only flaw was that the weapons were supposed to go to the
anti-Syrian Christian militias.

[Description of Source: Berlin Die Welt in German --
major right-of-center daily]

http://www.welt.de/data/2007/02/07/1202700.html