04 March 2004 04:49
Russia to pass on its old SAM systems to Belarus, says minister
Paris, 3 March: Russia will pass on S-300 [air defence] systems that it has taken out of service, to Belarus, acting
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov told journalists in Paris on Wednesday [3 March].
"The delivery terms are as follows. We have S-300 systems which have been taken out of service with the armed
forces and which are not in an operational condition. The Defence Ministry will transfer these systems to the [Russian]
Committee on Military-Technical Cooperation, and the committee, in turn, will conclude an agreement with the Belarusians
on pre-export preparation at Belarusian expense," Ivanov said.
A high-ranking source at the Defence Ministry told RIA-Novosti earlier that the S-300 surface-to-air missile systems
may be delivered to Belarus within the next six months, after they have been restored to a combat-ready condition.
[An ITAR-TASS report at 1623 gmt presented a slightly different version of this report. It quoted Ivanov as saying
the systems were still in an operational condition. The agency added: "Sergey Ivanov refused to comment on press
reports that, after the recent 'gas dispute', Belarus allegedly plans to charge Russia for the use of the
Volga radar station near Baranavichy. He noted that 'so far there have been no gestures from Belarus over the Volga
station'."]
[RIA news agency] |
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