ASA Newsbreak Service
ASA NewsBreak #191, General Interest News
Date sent by e-mail:18 July 2001
Date posted on ASA website: 22 July, 2001
ASA Subscribers,
The following general interest news items are forwarded for your information.
Also please note that the NewsBreaks primary e-mail number has
changed to info@asanltr.com.
1. WNV marches on.
So far this year West Nile virus (WNV)-positive birds have been
reported from Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. In the
preceding year WNV-positive test results were reported from 12
states, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Hew
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia plus the District of
Columbia. Maine and South Carolina as the only eastern seaboard
states that have not so far reported the presence of WNV.
2. Russia and China Strike Major Arms Purchase Deal.
MOSCOW, Jul 18, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) China has agreed
to purchase Russian Su-30MKK fighters jets in a contract worth an
estimated two billion dollars, the Military News Agency reported
Wednesday citing aviation sources. The fighters, whose number was
not specified, will be made in Russia and delivered to China by
the end of 2003, the report said. The news came at the end of a
four-day visit to Russia by Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Moscow
and Beijing had last signed a major arms buy in 1999, when China
agreed to purchase a range of Russian fighters, also at an
estimated cost of two billion dollars.
On Tuesday, Moscow and Beijing also signed a framework deal for
the construction of an oil pipeline to pump Russian crude to
China, the Interfax news agency reported. The agreement, which
must still be finalized, would see Russia transport 20 million
tons of oil a year to China starting from 2005, rising to 30
million tons by 2010.
3. Chemical Weapons Scrapping in Russa to Cost USD 307
Million in 2002. MOSCOW, Jul 18, 2001 -- (Military News
Agency) As much as RUR 9 billion (USD 307.77 million) will be
allocated in 2002 for implementation of the chemical weapons
demil program in Russia, a spokesman for the Russian Ammunition
Agency told the Military News Agency on Tuesday. According to the
Agency Director General Zinovy Pak, foreign investors are
supposed to grant almost RUR 2 billion (USD 68.39 million) for
that purpose. A total of RUR 92.7 billion (USD 3.17 billion) are
planned to be allocated for the program until 2012.
The rectification of the program's content was discussed by the
Russian government on June 14 this year. Currently the Ministries
of Economic Development and Finance hold consultations on the
program's financing, Pak said. "This will be the subject of
a long discussion," Pak stressed. The problem was also
discussed in Russia's State Duma lower house of Parliament.
4. Lack of Finances Limits Russian Promise to Destroy
Arms. MOSCOW, Jul 18, 2001 -- (Agence France
Presse) Russia is unable to meet its commitment to destroy 8,000
tons of chemical weapons by the end of April 2002 because of
insufficient funds, AVN military news agency reported Wednesday.
IAW the CWC, Russia had agreed to destroy 40,000 tons (44,000
short tons) of arms by 2007. The director of the Russian
munitions agency, Zinovy Pak, was quoted as saying Russia would
destroy the weapons by 2012, five years after the initial target
date. Pak said Russia had earmarked nine billion rubles (310
million dollars) for the destruction of chemical weapons in 2002.
5. Over 1.5 Million Tons of Russian Ammunition Need
Immediate Scrapping. MOSCOW, Jul 18, 2001 --
(Military News Agency) Over 1.5 million tons of ammunition stored
in Russia need immediate scrapping, a spokesman for the Russian
Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The withdrawal of Soviet troops
from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states complicated the
munitions situation as arsenals and storage bases had to
stockpile 2.5 to three times more ammunition than they were
intended for. Moreover, most bombs, missiles, mines, torpedoes
and grenades were time-expired. The spokesman said that
spontaneous blasts in ammo storage facilities, a part of which
are located within the limits of big cities, took place once in
three months.
6. Iraq Looks to Boost Cooperation With "Just"
Russia. BAGHDAD, Jul 16, 2001 -- (Agence France
Presse) Iraq praised Russia on Monday for opposing the
U.S.-backed British "smart sanctions" proposal and
expressed its desire to boost bilateral cooperation. Deputy Prime
Minister and Acting Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz told Russian
emissary Nikolai Kartuzov of "Baghdad's desire to boost
cooperation with Russia ... (which) lined up on the side of
justice" against the proposal.
Russia's message to Iraq focused on UN deliberations over the
draft resolution for a retooled embargo. On July 4, the UN
Security Council extended the oil-for-food deal for five months
after shelving plans to impose the revised sanctions due to
Russian opposition. Iraq will give priority to Russia in import
contracts under the UN oil-for-food program for its support at
the UN.
7. And lastly - For a very interesting article on BW, check out
the Homeland Defense Interview with Dr. Serguei Popov on 1
November 2000 at: http://www.homelandsecurity.org/journal/Interviews/interview.cfm?interview=8.