Russia defends its weapons contracts with Syria



GAZIANTEP, TURKEY // The UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Russian president Vladimir Putin discussed the growing crisis in Syria yesterday, amid increasing concerns over Moscow supplying advanced weapons - including supersonic cruise missiles - to President Bashar Al Assad.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who met the UN secretary general earlier in the day, said he was baffled by continued interest in Moscow's arms deals with the Syrian regime.
"I do not understand why the media is trying to create a sensation out of this," Mr Lavrov said.
"We have not hidden that we supply weapons to Syria under signed contracts, without violating any international agreements, or our own legislation.
"We are first and foremost supplying defence weapons related to air defence."
On Thursday, unidentified US officials were quoted by The New York Times as saying Russia had recently sent advanced anti-ship missiles to Damascus, capable of sinking vessels nearly 300 kilometres away.
Russia has also remained somewhat enigmatic about supplies of the much-vaunted S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria.
This month, when asked if Moscow would give the S-300 to Damascus, Mr Lavrov said Russia was not thinking of selling, but had already concluded a sale.
"Russia is not planning to sell. Russia already sold them a long time ago, he said last Friday. "It has signed the contracts and is completing deliveries, in line with the agreed contracts, of equipment which is anti-aircraft technology."
But he did not specify if that deal related to the S-300 or another less advanced system.
Israeli officials have been cited in media reports this month as saying Damascus made payments towards four S-300 batteries and 144 missiles. In an effort to block any sale, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Mr Putin in Russia on Tuesday. No public announcement relating to weapons was made after the meeting by either leader.
Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes inside Syria, all apparently designed to stop weapons falling into the hands of Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group that has been fighting alongside Mr Al Assad's forces. Israeli jets would find it more difficult to stage such attacks if Syrian air defences were bolstered.
S-300s would also add to the problems of enforcing a no fly zone over Syria, the prospect of which was raised by Turkish prime minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan yesterday, despite Western states showing no intention of wanting to putting one in place .
"It is not a decision that could be taken between the United States and Turkey. It is something that would have to come through the U.N. Security Council," Mr Erdogan said.
He also backed Beijing and Moscow being involved in planned peace talks.
Russia, a key ally to the Syrian regime and its principal weapons supplier, has been at the centre of a recent flurry of diplomatic activity. The American secretary of state John Kerry and British prime minister David Cameron have also held meetings with senior Russian officials this month.
The US-Russian talks resulted in an agreement to hold a peace conference involving the Syrian opposition and regime, although no date has yet been set.
Mr Ban's talks with Mr Lavrov and Mr Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi yesterday were part of an effort to ensure that the conference happens quickly. The proposed negotiations have been dubbed "Geneva 2" because they are to be held in the Swiss city and represent a follow-up to a stillborn deal brokered by the then UN-special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, last June in the same location.
That vaguely worded agreement collapsed immediately over differing interpretations as to what it actually meant. The US, a backer of anti-regime factions, said the agreement made it clear Mr Al Assad would have to step down, while Russia and Damascus insisted it contained no such requirement.
Almost a year has passed since that deal was done, with conditions in Syria rapidly worsening. A year ago, almost 20,000 people were estimated killed in the uprising and the regime's violent suppression of dissent. Now the death toll stands at more than 94,000, according to the most recent estimate of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, one of the few groups tracking fatalities.
Extremism and brutal sectarianism within regime and opposition factions has grown; millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes; and billions of dollars worth of damage had been done to national infrastructure and important historical sites.
What began as a peaceful, pro-democracy uprising - met with lethal force by an intransigent autocratic regime - has now morphed into a conflict pitting regional and international powers against one another in a proxy war that has already begun to spill over Syrian borders.
The degree of violence unleashed in response to the uprising was underlined in a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report yesterday, after it gained rare access to regime detention and torture cells in Raqqa, a Syrian province now held by rebel forces.
"The documents, prison cells, interrogation rooms, and torture devices we saw in the government's security facilities are consistent with the torture former detainees have described to us," said Nadim Houry, HRW's deputy Middle East director.
It remains unclear exactly who will take part in the planned Geneva 2 talks, with both Mr Al Assad and his opponents repeatedly ruling out negotiations with one another.
There is also little indication that compromise is now possible. Positions on both sides have hardened in the past year, and neither Mr Al Assad nor the rebels have been able to make decisive gains on the battlefield.
Moscow has also said it wants Iran present at the Geneva 2 summit. Tehran is another major backer of Mr Al Assad, and of Hizbollah.
Supporters of the Syrian opposition in Washington and the Arab Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, have previously rejected an Iranian role in talks.
France yesterday repeated it support of that position, saying it would oppose a peace conference if Tehran were invited to attend.
The US and Europe have thus far refrained from openly supplying anti-regime rebels with offensive weapons, but Washington, London and Paris have all suggested that policy is under review and may change if Mr Al Assad does not take part in serious negotiations about a handover of power.
 
psands@thenational.ae

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EResults%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHong%20Kong%2052-5%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESouth%20Korea%2055-5%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EMalaysia%206-70%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3EUAE%2036-32%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2021%2C%207.30pm%20kick-off%3A%20UAE%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EAt%20The%20Sevens%2C%20Dubai%20(admission%20is%20free).%3Cbr%3ESaturday%3A%20Hong%20Kong%20v%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info

Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')

West Ham United 0

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Day 1 results:

Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)

Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)

The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000

Engine 6.2L V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm

Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm

Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km

The Specs

Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Results

STAGE

1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56

2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14

3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21

4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24

5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05

2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05

3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18

4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33

5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80

Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km


The UAE Today

The latest news and analysis from the Emirates

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      The UAE Today