RUSSIA TAKES ACTIVE PART IN IRANIAN PROGRAM OF REARMAMENT








MOSCOW, March 14. /From a RIA Novosti correspondent/. Russia will take active part in the implementation of 25-year program on Iranian armed forces rearmament. The program was worked out by the Iranian authorities in 2000 due to the unstable and tense situation in the region, Russian Ministry of Defense announced.


	First stage of the program's implementation includes export of Russian defensive conventional arms and military materiel to Iran within the framework of mutual military-technical cooperation agreements. The agreements were reached in 1989-1991. Russia fulfilled the agreements partly due to the notable "Gore-Chernomyrdin" letter that stalled Russian military exports from 1995 until November last year.


	After coming out of the "limiting" document Russia is inclined to renew its export of arms and military materiel to Iran in strict accordance with Russian laws and international obligations. It is planned to export to Iran more than 570 T-72S tanks, more than one thousand AFV-2, anti-aircraft guns, technical licensed documentation and technological equipment for production of arms and military materiel in Iran. Total export value estimates about $1.5 bln. The Russian Ministry of Defense remarked that according to the deal, Iran is forbidden to hand Russian licenses to third countries until the year 2011. 


	Within the framework of the agreements Russia is to provide Iran with aviation ammunition and spare parts for MIG-29, SukharevSu-24MK and renewal of technical cooperation in the field of creation and equipment of the project 877EKM coastal submarine pens.


	Russia might sign a treaty on military-technical cooperation with Iran in the middle of this year. Nomenclature of the Russian arms and military materiel, export of which is to begin in 2002, may include air defense S-300 PMU systems, other air defense system complexes, new series MIG-29 and SukharevSu-27, as well as rocket, LCM and patrol cutters.


	At the present moment Iran has in its possession 24 MIG-29, 12 SukharevSu-24MK, 3 diesel 877EKM submarines, 422 T-72S tanks, 413 AFV-2, S-200 and "Vega-E" coastal deployment objects and other military materiel. -o- (ion/ter) 


	14/03/01    10:15