RUSSIA BECOMES INTENSIVE AT THE IRANIAN RE-EQUIPMENT PROGRAM TAKING
PART








MOSCOW, 13 March.  (RIA "Nowosti" rIA-"Nowosti"-Korrespondent).
Russia will take part intensively in the conversion on 25 years of the
laid out re-equipment program of the Iranian armed forces.  The
program was prepared by the Iranian guidance in the year 2000 in
consideration of the unstable and explosive situation in this region.
  This are reported from the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

In the first conversion phase to Iran conventional Russian defensive
weapons and war technique are supplied in the context of the four
bilateral agreements in the area of military-technical co-operation.
The present agreements were closed in the period 1989-1991.  Russia
fulfilled it partly in connection with the Gore Tschernomyrdin
memorandum, which put such supplies from 1995 to previous November on
ice.

After the withdrawal from the " suppressing " document Russia wants to
again take up the weapon and war technique supplies strictly with the
Russian legislation and the taken over international obligations to
Iran.  More are put to Iranian armed forces as 570 tanks T-72S, more
than 1,000 armored infantry vehicles BMP-2, Fla systems,
license-technical documentation and technological equipment for the
weapon and war technique production in Iran at the disposal.  The
value of delivery amounts to about 1.5 billion USD. in accordance with
the trading conditions may not Iran on the Russian licenses to third
countries up to the year 2011 not pass, in the Ministry was
determined.

In the context of the agreements mentioned ammunition and spare parts
for the airplanes MiG-29 and Su-24MK are to be supplied at Iran.  Is
intended to continue the technical support of Russia during the
development and nachruestung of the coastal points of view for
submarines of the project 877EKM.

Center of this yearly can close Russia with Iran a fifth agreement
over military-technical co-operation.  The supplies of the Russian
weapons and munitions, which are to begin 2002, can contain Fla
systems S-300PMU and other Fla systems, radiolocation systems,
modernized airplanes MiG-29 and Su-27, rocket of landing and strip
speedboats.

For the moment there are 24 MiG-29, 12 Su-24MK, three Diesel
submarines of the project 877EKM, 422 tanks T-72S, 413 armored
infantry vehicles BMP-2, Fla rocket systems S-200 and " Wega e " as
well as other war technique in Iranian armed forces.