Syria Denies Russia Missile Deal

Syria has denied that Russia will sell it Iskander missiles, following media reports suggesting such a deal was in the offing.



Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies on August 21 as saying that Moscow was prepared to sell Syria weapons which “do not violate the strategic balance of power in the region”.



Citing official Syrian sources, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, said on August 21 that reports of a deal for Iskander missiles were “baseless”.



It further stated that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Russian president Dimitri Medevdev had not discussed the issue in their meeting at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on August 21.



It did not mention whether Russia would sell Syria other types of weapons.



Russia was a top story in the Syrian press this week in the run-up to Assad’s meeting with Medevdev.



The pro-government and official media expressed sympathy with Moscow in its coverage of the Russian-Georgian conflict, and one news website reported concern that the fighting could raise tensions in the Middle East.



The pro-government newspaper Al-Watan maintained in an article on August 17 that the West continues to limit Russia’s security, political and economic power, while ignoring its concerns about NATO and “hostile” governments in the Ukraine and Georgia.



Al-Watan asserted that “Russia’s counterattack deep into Georgia” is a sign that Russia is adopting offensive military strategies, ending nearly two decades of defensive policies.



The pro-government website Al-Jamal argued in an article on August 16 that the conflict could create instability throughout the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia, causing Israel to adopt tougher positions in its peace negotiations with Syria.



The conflict could also negatively affect Syria if Turkey, which is mediating between Syria and Israel, supports Georgia in line with the United States and Israel, according to the website.



Al-Jamal also asserted that Russia’s power was being undermined by the US-Polish agreement to establish an American missile defence system in Poland; the Czech Republic’s desire to expand a US missile defence base there; and finally by the pro-western Ukrainian government, which leases a strategic naval base to Russia.



A weakened Russia would affect the Middle East, increasing the possibility of an attack on Iran and “Israeli aggressions” in the region, predicted the website.



If the conflict continues, Syria and Turkey could once again become home to refugees from the Caucuses, warned Al-Jamal.