Support The Moscow Times!

$4.2Bln Arms Deal With Iraq May Be in Jeopardy

Al-Dulaimi speaking to the media during a news conference on Saturday. Reuters

BAGHDAD —? Iraq has canceled a $4.2 billion deal to buy military jets, helicopters and missiles from Russia, citing possible corruption in the contract, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office said.

Al-Maliki has suspicions about corruption on his own team, his spokesman told the BBC.

In a confusing exchange, the announcement was immediately contradicted by Iraq's acting defense minister, who denied the corruption charges and said the Russian arms deals were still valid.

The arms agreements were a sensitive issue for Iraq. U.S. military hardware remains key for Iraq's armed forces, but the Russian deal appeared to open a way for al-Maliki to push back against U.S. pressure by diversifying his arms suppliers.

The Russian sale was worked out just as Washington warned al-Maliki, who is close to Shiite-dominated Iran, to curb Iranian flights ferrying weapons through Iraqi airspace to aid Syrian President Bashar Assad in his fight against a revolt there.

Al-Maliki's media adviser, Ali al-Moussawi, said the decision to renegotiate the agreements had been made after the prime minister was informed about possible wrongdoing in the contract.

"Our need for weapons still stands, so we will renegotiate new contracts," al-Moussawi said. "This is a precautionary measure because of suspected corruption."

But acting Defense Minister Sadoon al-Dulaimi, who negotiated with the Russians, dismissed the corruption charges and said the deals would go ahead.

"We have not transferred even one dinar, there was no agent, no contract was signed. These were just technical and financial offers," he told reporters in Baghdad.

Arms exporter Rosoboronexport declined to comment. Interfax reported that the Russian Embassy in Iraq said it had not been informed that the deal had been scrapped.

The initial announcement of the deal was released unusually ?€” in a Russian government document issued to reporters during al-Maliki's visit to Moscow in October.

The document said deals had been signed with Iraq's acting defense minister in April, July and August.

Kommersant said the contract entailed delivery of surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery systems, MiG-29M/M2 aircraft, armored vehicles and attack helicopters.

The deals would have made Russia the second-largest military supplier to Iraq, after the U.S., which has sold Baghdad billions of dollars in arms, including F-16 fighters and tanks, since the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

But the Russian agreements fit into the wider context of al-Maliki's efforts to balance interests stemming from the war against concerns regarding Assad.

Iran and Russia support Assad, while the rebels fighting him are backed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western powers.

(Reuters, MT)

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more