RUSSIA: SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD STARTS FOUR-DAY VISIT

Record ID: 276766

  • Title: RUSSIA: SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD STARTS FOUR-DAY VISIT
  • Date: 25th January 2005
  • Summary: (BN14) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 24, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV SYRIAN PLANE TAXIING ON TARMAC; LAS FLAGS FLYING; SLV SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD LEAVING PLANE 0.35 2. SLV RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND GUARD OF HONOUR GREETING PRESIDENT ASSAD; ASSAD WATCHING AS RUSSIAN GUARD OF HONOUR MARCH PAST 1.03 Initials Script is copyright Reut
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVAE8RLGZ17LWCN2KOSAXKX252E1
  • Story Text: Syrian president arrives in Moscow at the start of a
    four-day visit to Russia.

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow
    on Monday (January 24, 2005) at the start of a four-day visit to
    Russia.

    The Syrian leader is due to hold talks with Russian
    President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday (January
    25).

    Assad's visit to Russia has been watched carefully by
    the United States and Syria's arch-enemy Israel who fear
    Moscow and Damascus will sign a deal for the sale of
    Russian missiles.

    Assad, in an interview published on Monday ahead of his
    visit to Moscow, denied that there was any deal to buy
    sophisticated missile systems from Russia.

    Rumours of the Iskander-E ground-to-ground and SA-18
    shoulder-fired missiles deal have rung alarm bells in
    Israel, Syria's arch-enemy, and in the United States.

    "Russia's defence minister has said that such a deal
    does not exist and thus he has answered the question,"
    Assad told Izvestia in the interview ahead of his arrival
    in Moscow for the three-day visit.

    Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier this
    month denied reports that Moscow was in talks with Damascus
    to sell it sophisticated arms after the United States
    raised the issue with him during a U.S. visit.

    Israel has also urged Russia not to sell Syria weapons
    which would bring most of its territory within missile
    range.

    Damascus was Moscow's key Middle East ally during the
    Cold War.

    Russia has been trying to revive the influence it held
    in the region before the collapse of the Soviet Union, with
    Syria seen playing a key role.


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