Putin: Sale of missiles to Syria will block Israeli flyovers

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/567641.html

The SA-18 missiles Russia is selling Syria "will of course make it difficult to fly over the residence of the Syrian president," Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly stated yesterday. "It will make flying low difficult," implying what has long been believed to be the reason for the sale of the anti-aircraft missiles: Syrian embarrassment over Israeli air force planes "buzzing" presidential palaces in Syria to issue warnings to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Russian president, who gave an interview to Channel One ahead of his historic visit next week to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, said the sale of the missiles to Syria would not upset the balance of power in the Middle East.

Israel has been trying to apply as much pressure as it can to deter the Russians from making the sale, but Putin has not been convinced. He decided to go ahead with the sale after promising Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that the missiles would be vehicle-mounted, and impossible to convert into shoulder-launched rockets that could end up in the hands of one of the terror organizations that Damascus hosts.

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[greatbubba]

1. The sale of the missles makes it possible for peace and tranquility in

syria ...thank you Putin for balancing the powers world wide...Now Russia will be seen as the great democracy.

[cliss]

12. After the USSR collapsed in 1992, the world

has become very unbalanced. The US emerged as the "Sole Superpower" (althought that's certainly debatable) and it has taken advantage of this imbalance to strengthen its position.

It's said that nature Abhors a vacuum, and I say that the world needs a balance of power. It simply cannot be sustained by one "Super-Power" at the expense of all the rest. It's actually damaging and harmful for the Superpower to wield such uncontested strength, that no other country is in a position to fight back.

A good analogy would be a Board of Directors. The director is a strong grown man, and all the other board members are sickly, weak, and otherwise unable to argue with the director or thwart his will in any decision. It simply becomes unbalanced, and this board will not be able to accomplish much, other than the Director grabbing all the power and stealing and consolidating power for himself.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Another good analogy would be the Roman Empire n/t

[psychopomp]

32. It is a shoulder-fired SAM

[mmonk]

2. hmmmm

Has the presence of missiles ever stopped us from fly overs? Let's say more difficult or spicey.

[NNN0LHI]

4. Francis Gary Powers would probably say yes

I think he is still the record holder for unplanned high-altitude parachute jumps.

Don

[saigon68]

17. Getting your ASS blown out of the sky @ 80,000 feet

Results in frost bite and hypoxia.

Although his rig had an oxygen bottle attached. I'm sure it was cold as hell in the descent into the waiting arms of the rustic Russian Peasants. Who were armed with hoes, rakes and brooms, and a real mistrust of FURRNERS.

[mmonk]

20. But he flew

[bemildred]

5. Yeah, actually it does.

Them jets are expensive.

[bemildred]

3. Maybe annoying him is the wrong approach? nt

[The Stranger]

22. Probably getting off his land would be better?

[bemildred]

24. I meant Putin, not Assad.

Not that I disagree with your point.

[vpigrad]

6. As someone that can't sleep several nights a week...

due to those rich idiots that have planes and enjoy buzzing houses, I know how he feels. Can I also get a few AA missles?

[Tempest]

7. What Putin didn't say

The missile sale will also make bombing runs in the lead-up to an invasion of Syria difficult and deadly for U.S. pilots.

[AlCzervik]

8. Part of me really hates Putin but part of me

is amazed by his balls to tell Bush to fuck himself.

[NNN0LHI]

10. It doesn't take balls to tell Bush to fuck himself

It just takes lots of deliverable nuclear weapons to be able to get away with that. Putin is still nothing but a beady eyed former KGB agent. Remember when the idiot Bush said he looked into Putin's soul and seen a good man? And Putin just smiled like a skunk eating shit. And Bush is still an idiot for saying something so stupid.

Don

[atreides1]

16. Bush has always been an idiot.

Someone forgot to tell Bush, that KGB agents don't have souls, and they are the closest thing to the devil in Russia.

[NNN0LHI]

18. That was Rices job to do that

She is the one who was supposed to be the expert on the USSR where Putin got his start with the KGB. They are all idiots.

Don

[nine30]

23. Exactly right

" Putin is still nothing but a beady eyed former KGB agent.."

Deep in his heart he still hates the US for winning the Cold War. But selling missles to Syria at a time like this is such a huge act of defiance, I wonder how Bush co is going to react.

[Ilsa]

25. That video has to be made into a classic for DNC

campaigns. Shows what idiot the Chimpster really is, and how incredibly dishonest he can be. (Hadn't heard the one about skunk-eating-shit-grin in awhile.)

[Purveyor]

9. Why should Israel worry if they keep their planes out of Syrian

airspace?

Israel would consider that an "invasion", no?

[not systems]

11. Condie's diplomacy already paying dividends for Bush. n/t

[Karma]

14. What if Putin sold missiles to Iraqi insurgents, just like the US did..

to Afghani insurgents to help defeat the Soviets ?

[not systems]

15. Considering he has 7500 nuclear tipped missiles, not much...

he wouldn't get any barbecue at the Bush's pig farm.

[Delphinus]

19. Glad to hear this.

The US and Israel can't be the only ones in the Middle East with weapons.

[The Stranger]

21. I wondered why Condoleeza Rice was attacking Putin yesterday.

Saying something about his having too much power.

[AzDar]

26. I was wondering the same thing. Something about "too much power, as

well as control of the media"...the irony is enough to make one's head cave-in.

[Colorado Blue]

27. This in itself isn't much, but if it signals the restart of the

Cold War and the huge arms races of the past, it's a bad thing.

As far as "balance of power" goes - the USSR was responsible for fomenting enormous amounts of pain all over the world. They backed some highly aggressive regimes, started wars and are directly responsible for a great deal of the agony we are still dealing with in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. And those of us who are old enough, remember all too well the constant threat of nuclear war.

Within their borders, millions disappeared and freedom of thought, expression and religion was verboten.

The war in Afghanistan was horrendous, it killed innumerable people and millions of their precious animals, lasted many years, and drove countless thousands into refugee camps.

It led directly to the empowerment of people like the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as to the demise of the USSR itself.

This really isn't something to cheer. It would figure, though, if bellicose Condi and the bumbling Bush Administration, have managed to stimulate the Bear back into the arms and aggravation business.

We are mad at our present administration, but I truly hope we do not return to the bad old days - this time, with a Russian Orthodox religious movement behind the throne.

That would be bad, bigtime.

[bemildred]

29. I don't think it means much.

I think he's just "signalling" the Bushites.
Russia has no interest in an arms race, they can't afford it any better
than we. Russia just wants to make sure their nukulur deterrent is in
tip-top shape and assert their influence in the areas that matter to
them, and do business.

[Dave Reynolds]

28. So did the Cold War really ever end,

or is this CWII?

Proxy battles to come.

[Moderator]

30. kick

[lovuian]

31. Russia to sell air defense systems to Syria so that Syrian president may s

http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/88/354/15341_Syria.html

Russia to sell air defense systems to Syria so that Syrian president may sleep well
04/22/2005 16:42
Now the Syrian president can sleep tight. No Israeli aircraft will be flying over his palace in Damask because Russian-made air defense systems Igla-8 will be on standby. Syria plans to buy state-of-the-art weapons in Russia while its defense minister is trying to convince the international community that Syria is ready to hold peace talks with Israel and wants to pursue a policy of constructive cooperation.

The reports on a potential sale of Russian air defense systems to Syria were confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to an Israeli TV station, President Putin said that the weapons would be shipped to Syria in the near future. President Putin denied allegations that the sale would disrupt the balance of power in the region. He said that Russian missiles would have no effect whatsoever on Israel's military capability which is far greater than that of Syria.

The Israeli government has not commented on the deal so far. The Israeli government repeatedly said that Syrians should first cease providing their support to the Palestinian terrorist organizations prior to seeking a truce between the two states. The Israelis seized Golan Heights during the war in 1967. For nearly 40 years the Syrians have been calling on Israel to pull out its troops from that disputed area and respect the 1967 borders between the two countries. Israel refused to pull out its troops from the occupied Golan Heights.


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Seems Putin is sticking to its friend Syria!!! And letting Syria get its beauty sleep!!!

[Doctor_J]

33. Here comes WWIII

everyone's choosing sides.