&host=rt.com&uri=/usa/news/us-arms-georgia/&via=(none)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
US to send $100M worth of weapons to Georgia – intelligence
Published: 09 November, 2009, 13:38
Edited: 10 November, 2009, 18:43
TAGS: Military, NATO, Georgia, USA
The US has offered to sell Georgia up to $100 million worth of weapons, which would include, among others, a sophisticated air defense system, small arms and ammunition, according to Russian security services
Russia's General Staff says the offer was made by a private arms manufacturer after Tbilisi asked Washington for its military assistance, Itar-Tass news agency reports.
Russia has repeatedly criticized the US, Israel and other countries for supplying weapons to Georgia, and after last year's war in South Ossetia called for an embargo on all arms deals with Tbilisi.
The head of the General Staff, Aleksandr Shlyakhturov, told the agency that, according to the information at their disposal, “Georgia, is still getting military assistance from NATO members, Israel and Ukraine.”
He added that NATO countries mainly supply Georgia with small arms and ammunition, while the US leads training of the staff, Israel provides it with unmanned aircrafts, and Ukraine with tanks and air defense systems.
09.11.2009, 09:40
1 comment
Mixed couple denied right to marryA justice of the peace in Louisiana in the US has resigned after refusing to marry a mixed-race couple. Keith Bardwell came under strong criticism in the state, where race has long been a contentious issue. |
09.11.2009, 16:38
2 comments
Race to reset: Moscow and Washington rush to beat arms treaty deadlineUS and Russian officials are meeting in Geneva today to hammer out the details on a new agreement to replace the START-1 treaty – but time is running out. Medvedev-Obama |
bob, Georgia will never be untouchable by Russia. Russia made it clear that iniating military conflicts on it's border, especially in a region as volatile as the caucaus, and attacking innocent civilians unprovoked, as well as OSCE mandated peacekeepers, will not be tolerated, and will not hesitate to use the same force again. It's irresponsible of Obama to arm Georgia, a loose canon in that region is not in the US's interests.
Well that was always going to happen. What is strange is the slow pace that Georgia is being armed, its military personnel trained, and its military infrastructure modernised. Perhaps the slow (but steady) pace is so as not to upset Russia, or maybe the aim is do everything so slowly that when the trap is finally sprung Russia didn't see it coming? Georgia does not need to join Nato to become a 'protectionate' of the US, in fact it is almost that now. Once the US officially establishes itself there it will be 'untouchable' by Russia. The country is too strategically important for the US to loose or leave vulnerable. The US can 'contain' Russia and then look at all that lovely Caspian oil - amongst other things, and I'm sure that Israel would like to base a few planes or missiles in Georgia ready for a multipronged attack on Iran. Georgia has looked west and the west have jumped in.
Good analysis, Bob. I think, this is exactly what US and Israel want. A symmetric response from Russia would be to start arming Afganistan/Pakistan mujahideens and help Iran with building their nuclear arsenal instead of "cooperating" with US by providing its territory for NATO military supplies and participating in nuclear weapons reduction initiative. Think again, what is more important for the West...