US Criticizes Russia For Alleged Arms Sales To Iraq

U.S. State Department officials said Sunday the issue of the alleged sales had been raised with the Russian government and that its response has been unsatisfactory. The U.S. government said such sales would be in violation of United Nations sanctions and could pose a direct threat to its forces currently fighting in Iraq. The Washington Post newspaper has reported that one Russian company helped Iraq deploy electronic jamming equipment against U.S. planes and bombs. The newspaper said two other Russian firms have sold anti-tank missiles and thousands of night-vision goggles to the Iraqi military. The U.S. government said it has directly protested against the reported arms sales to the Russian government several times. Washington said its protests to Moscow have have intensified within the past two weeks and reached senior levels. The French news agency said the director of Moscow-based company Aviaconversiya, Oleg Antonov, has denied his firm sold Iraq electronic jamming equipment. However Mr. Antonov said Baghdad had expressed interest in buying the equipment.