Russia Strikes First Bahrain Arms Deal After U.K., French Bans
\nBy Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov – Aug 25, 2011 2:01 PM MT – Bloomberg<\/p>\n
Russia for the first time is selling weapons to Bahrain after the U.K. and France banned deliveries of security equipment to the Gulf monarchy because of its crackdown on protesters.<\/p>\n
Rosoboronexport, Russia\u2019s state-run arms trader, says it wants more business in Bahrain. The country is selling AK103 Kalashnikovs with grenade launchers and ammunition for tens of millions of dollars to Bahrain, according to a person close to the Russian Defense Ministry who declined to be identified because the information isn\u2019t public.<\/p>\n
In February, France and the U.K. revoked export licenses for security equipment that could be used to quash internal unrest in Bahrain after government forces shot dead several protesters. At least 30 people were killed in this year\u2019s uprising in Bahrain, a U.S. ally situated between Qatar and Saudi Arabia that is home to the U.S. Navy\u2019s Fifth Fleet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relationship between Russia and Bahrain has been increasingly getting stronger,\u201d Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, a Bahraini government spokesman, said by phone on Aug. 24 from the capital, Manama. \u201cWe are looking to cooperate with Russia in trade and technical services. One of the fields is in the area of light arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
He declined to comment on the details of specific contracts. Rosoboronexport Chief Executive Officer Anatoly Isaikin last week said Bahrain has become a new customer for Russian armaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cStates in the region are interested in Russian air- defense systems, aviation equipment and weapons for ground forces,\u201d the Moscow-based company said in an e-mailed response Aug. 24 to questions from Bloomberg News about the arms deal.
\nHuman Rights<\/p>\n
Bahraini security forces beat paramedics, doctors and nurses who treated the wounded during the uprising and prosecutors charged dozens of medical workers with crimes such as \u201cincitement against the regime,\u201d according to Human Rights Watch. In June, the U.S. put Bahrain on its list of human-rights violators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not issue licenses where we judge there is a clear risk that the proposed export might provoke or prolong regional or internal conflicts, or which might be used to facilitate internal repression,\u201d U.K. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said on Feb. 18.<\/p>\n
Rosoboronexport said a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries would help to strengthen Russia\u2019s position among the Gulf\u2019s U.S.-allied monarchies. …more<\/a><\/p>\n