BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

21/12/2007

Russia considers sale of hi-tech anti-aircraft missiles to Belarus

Minsk - Russia plans to sell some of its most sophisticated antiaircraft missiles to Belarus, Russia's ambassador said Friday. "We are prepared to sell Belarus the weapon according to the internal (reduced) pricing of the Russian market," said Aleksander Surikov, Russian Ambassador to Belarus. "Our military cooperation is developing successfully."

Surikov said the Kremlin was planning to deliver to Minsk "several" S-400 missile systems, as part of joint air space defence planning between the two countries.

The S-400 was first deployed in Russia in July 2007. The anti- aircraft missile is one of Moscow's most advanced, capable of shooting down aircraft at ranges up to 600 kilometres, and even intercepting incoming missiles.

Surikov's announcement came less than a week after Russia declared it would not longer abide by a conventional forces limitation treaty signed with NATO in 1990.

Current US plans to deploy anti-missile missiles in the Czech Republic and possibly Poland make fielding of the S-400 in Belarus "a matter of security for both countries," Surikov said.

The positioning of the S-400 in Belarus would, in case of an armed conflict between NATO and Russia, represent a severe threat to NATO aircraft, particularly in the Baltic region.

The Kremlin has been outspoken in its criticism of the US missile plan, calling it destabilising to the region, despite claims by the White House the project is aimed at Iranian missiles not Russian.

Belarus took delivery of S-300 missiles from Russia last year. That system, comparable to the aging US Patriot missile system wityh a range of 140 kilometres, was introduced in Russia in the mid-1980s.

DPA

Source:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/162739.html