Certain NATO countries are engaged in active military cooperation with Iran, Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said Friday, responding to US threats of sanctions if Moscow resumed arms deliveries to Tehran.
Confirming Russia's intention to resume arms sales to Iran, Klebanov was quoted by Interfax agency as saying certain NATO countries had "already started cooperating with Iran in the military sphere."
Klebanov, whose portfolio covers Russia's military-industrial complex, did not identify the countries concerned.
His comments followed an American warning to Moscow that it could face US economic sanctions if it withdraws from a secret five-year-old accord banning arms sales to Iran.
The official said Russia would soon begin negotiations on contracts for new arms deliveries.
This violates the accord with the US whereby Moscow would fulfil already concluded contracts up to December 31, 1999 but end military cooperation with Iran after that date.
Klebanov said Russia had already begun to drop the limitations of the accord six months ago by notifying the Americans that it would be unable to fulfil contracts within the set time-limit, and would therefore extend the deadline.
However, Kklebanov stressed that his country would not be supplying Iran with nuclear missile technology, according to RIA-Novosti agency.
"We are acting in accordance with international agreements," the agency quoted him as saying.
A White House official said Thursday Washington had told the Russians "at the highest levels of government that there would be consequences, including the possibility of sanctions, if they proceed with plans for unilateral withdrawal" from the US-Moscow accord on arms supplies to Iran.
He said Moscow had informed Washington that as of December 1 it intended to withdraw from the 1995 aide-memoire, under which Russia had agreed to finish all scheduled exports of tanks and other battlefield weapons to Iran by December 31, 1999, and not to enter into new contracts.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kassianov was quoted by Itar-Tass Friday as saying the Russian decision did not warrant a row.
Andrei Nikolayev, chairman of the defense committee of the Russian lower house, welcomed his government's decision, recalling that Iran was a strategic partner of Russia -- MOSCOW (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
