Watchman Newsletter

Erdogan promises Iran Turkish intelligence aid against Israel

DEBKAfile  (Link) (November 10, 2009)

In the secret part of their talks in Tehran on Oct. 28, DEBKAfile's military sources reveal that Turkish prime minister Tayyep Recep Erdogan and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck military cooperation deals which promised Iran Turkish military intelligence and air force assistance against a possible Israeli attack on its nuclear sites.

Their understandings have bound Turkish to pass intelligence data to Tehran on potential Israeli preparations for a strike and on US military movements in the Middle East for providing backup. Our sources report that the details finalized in meetings between the Turkish and Iranian military specialists in Istanbul Monday, Nov. 9, were due to be sealed by presidents Abdullah Gul and Ahmadinejad Tuesday. The Iranian president is to be in Turkey as guest of the Islamic Conference.

The Turkish prime minister has not only buried his country's longstanding military and intelligence ties with Israel but climbed aboard the adversarial axis confronting the Jewish state. Turkey has agreed to round out the forward surveillance outposts encircling Israel's borders: Hamas from the southwest in Gaza, Syria in the east, Lebanon in the north and now Turkey from the northwest. Tehran is banking on this encirclement for early warning of an approaching Israeli strike and any supportive American movements.

Syria allows Russia use of port in missile deal

World Tribune (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Syria has reportedly agreed to purchase an advanced missile from Russia. Diplomatic sources said Russia would begin deliveries of the Yakhont missile as part of expanded naval cooperation with Syria, Middle East Newsline reported.

They said Syria has agreed to allow the Russian Navy use of the port of Tartous as well as the expansion of logistic services to Moscow's military.

The sources said the Yakhont would be deployed on Syria's small navy as part of expanded cooperation with the Kremlin.

"The deal is that Russia will supply and train the Syrians to use this new missile," a diplomat said.

The Kremlin was also said to have been working on a plant to expand the Tartous port to enable the docking of large Russian Navy ships. The sources said Tartous would become a regional maintenance center for the Russian Navy.

Yakhont, with a 200-kilogram conventional warhead, was described as a sea-to-sea missile with land-attack capabilities. The ramjet-powered missile was said to have a range of 300 kilometers and could threaten Israeli shipping throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Yakhont could also be fired from aircraft.

The sources said Israel has discussed the Yakhont deal with the Kremlin. They said Israel expressed concerns that Syria would transfer Yakhont to the Iranian-based Hizbullah in neighboring Lebanon.

"The Israelis now see every Syrian military deal as one that could help Hizbullah as well," the diplomat said. "This is because Iran pays for most of the military contracts signed by Damascus."

Medvedev: Russia to use troops abroad only in "extreme emergency"

China View (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Russia may decide to use military forces abroad only in exceptional circumstances to protect its citizens, said President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday.

"Such decisions are absolutely extraordinary and will be made only in case of extreme emergency," Medvedev was quoted by news agencies as telling the board of the Federation Council, the upper house of the parliament.

"Our citizens should be protected in any part of the globe and feel the state's protection," he said.

Such decisions should have a legal basis, he added.

Russia's State Duma, the lower house, in late October voted unanimously to pass a bill which the Kremlin said would lay the legal foundation for using troops abroad to prevent aggression by other states and to protect Russian citizens on foreign soil.

The bill is expected to be approved soon by the Federation Council, before it's signed by Medvedev and then becomes law.

Russia's existing law only allows the president to send armed forces to fight terrorism on foreign territories.

Iran, Israel, and War

BrittGillette.com (Link) - Britt Gillette (November 2, 2009)

Rumors of Iran, Israel, and war are everywhere you look in today’s news headlines, and for those with knowledge of bible prophecy, this should command immediate attention. Why?

Because, when it comes to the end times, the Bible has a lot to say about Israel and war with her neighbors.  In fact, Iran is specifically mentioned in this context... 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel identified modern day Iran (Persia) as a key player in the last days Gog / Magog invasion:

“This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws to lead you out to your destruction. I will mobilize your troops and cavalry and make you a vast and mighty horde, all fully armed. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its hordes will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north and many others.’” Ezekiel 38:1-6 (NLT)

In addition, Psalm 83 identifies Syria as a land that will conspire to destroy the nation of Israel:

“‘O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot.”  Psalm 83:1-8 (NLT)

All that said, why should it matter that the prophets long ago identified these nations as end times enemies of Israel?

Because through careful study of the scriptures, one can see today’s geopolitical landscape aligning itself for fulfillment of these very end times bible prophecies.  And, of course, in order to fulfill end times bible prophecies we must be in the end times, and the scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ will return as the final fulfillment of all end times prophecy.

So current events in the Middle East should serve as a reminder of Christ’s imminent return. In fact, the Lord Himself expected his disciples to carefully examine the Word of God so as to be prepared for His return:

“So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:42 (NLT)

Jesus went so far as to rebuke the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of the times, for the religious leaders of His day had full knowledge of the prophecies of the Messiah, yet they still chose not to believe in Him:

“One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus’ claims by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven. He replied, ‘You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!’” Matthew 16:1-3 (NLT)

This passage reveals the expectation Jesus had for the people of His day.  He expected them to fully recognize and eagerly await the time of His first coming. Should we expect any less in regard to His second coming?  Without a doubt, he holds our generation to the same standard of accountability.

Because the Lord commanded us to be watchful, we need to pay careful attention to today’s headlines. Here’s a few recent ones:

Turkish PM: Iran is Our Friend

Israel National News (Link) - Maayana Miskin (October 26, 2009)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country's increasingly close ties with Iran on Monday in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian. Of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Erdogan said, “There is no doubt he is our friend.”

Relations between Iran and Turkey are “very good,” Erdogan reported, even as many Israelis see Turkey increasingly distance itself from Israel. He defended Iran against charges that it is actively seeking nuclear weapons, saying the Islamic republic wants nuclear technology “for the purposes of energy only.”

The Turkish PM will visit Iran this week, and will meet with Ahmadinejad as well as Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The talks are expected to focus on economic ties between the two nations, which have grown dramatically in recent years to an estimated $9 billion.

Erdogan said he would not challenge Iran over the alleged abuse of pro-reform demonstrators. Turkey does not interfere in Iran's domestic affairs, he said.

When asked about Turkey's ties to Israel, Erdogan stated that the two countries remain strategic allies. However, he also slammed Israel for allegedly threatening nuclear war on Gaza.

Israeli Flags Burn in Istanbul

Hundreds of Turkish Muslims protested against Israel on Monday in response to calls from Muslim leaders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Muslim leaders in Jerusalem had accused Israel of planning to harm the Al-Aksa Mosque atop the Temple Mount.

Screaming “We will defend Al-Aksa,” the Turkish demonstrators marched on Israel's consulate in Istanbul. The protesters burnt Israeli flags and waved PLO flags and pictures of the Al-Aksa mosque.

Turkey Tightens Syrian-Iranian Axis after Snubbing Israel

Israel National News (Link) - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (October 14, 2009)

The threat of the anti-Israel axis north of the border worsened Wednesday with the announcement that Turkey, which has close ties with Iran, conducted joint military drills with Syria after snubbing Israel.

The maneuvers were held last week, revealed Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, who made the announcement on the Qatar-based Arabic-language Al Jazeera news network. "One week ago, Syria and Turkey carried out maneuvers near Ankara," Moallem announced. "This is important because it refutes reports of poor relations between the military and political institutes in Turkey over its strategic relations with Syria."

The Syrian-Turkish military exercises were apparently being held at the same time that Turkey was informing Jerusalem that it would ban the IAF from participating in the joint Anatolian Eagle exercise, a move that was not made public by Israel until Sunday. The war games, scheduled to be held together with Turkey, the U.S. and Italy, reportedly were to include mock bombing raids in air space near the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria. Israeli planes are believed to have passed through Turkish air space two years ago during the attack on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction.

Two decades of close ties between Ankara and Jerusalem appear to be coming to an end, the Asia Times reported Wednesday. It explained that demands from the Arab world and from hard-line Muslims in Turkey have influenced the government to distance itself from Israel, which has supplied Ankara with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment for refurbishing tanks and airplanes.

"This is a seriously worrying development," former Israeli Air Force Commander Eitan Ben-Eliyahu told an interviewer on Israeli television. "Turkey is critically essential in the training of our air force over wide spaces, particularly given Turkey's strategic location adjacent to both Iran and Syria."

Turkey Follows Israel Snub with Syrian Exercises

The Media Line (Link) (October 14, 2009)

Turkey is following up its decision to allow joint military exercises with the U.S. and NATO dissolve rather than participate alongside Israel with another pointed tweak at Jerusalem. Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib told a news conference on Tuesday that Damascus and Ankara will hold their own joint military exercises next week.

In a rebuke to the Turks, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said it is “inappropriate for any nation to be removed from an exercise like this at the last minute," but stopped short of framing the American position in terms of the Arab-Israeli conflict or in terms of the specific affront to Israel. Turkey’s decision to ban Israel from the annual air force exercises was reportedly in response to pressure to punish the Jewish state for its military incursion into the Gaza Strip last January. Israel’s military manufacturers fear its industry is rapidly losing one of its best customers. Numerous reports of negotiations over arms deals drying up are being heard.

Russia launches new Mideast arms push

United Press International (Link) (October 5, 2009)

Russia's state arms exporter is launching a big drive at the Tripoli air show to sell combat jets, missiles and air-defense systems to Middle Eastern states, including the state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile that Iran and Syria desperately want to acquire.

But the Russians are likely to find considerable competition at the 4th Arab-African Aviation Exhibition and Conference, known as LAVEX-2009, in the Libyan capital that opened Monday.

The four-day arms fair is likely to attract major international defense companies that are falling over themselves to upgrade Libya's long-neglected military as well as supply the Middle East, the largest arms market in the developing world.

But the Russian arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, will also find keen interest in its wares by the Libyan government.

The Other Ticking Clock in Iran

Foreign Policy (Link) - Christian Caryl (October 2, 2009)

The recent revelations about Iran's nuclear program -- centering on an enrichment facility buried in a mountain near the holy city of Qom -- have almost certainly intensified the sense of urgency among policymakers in Jerusalem. Even though the news has triggered a new round of high-stakes diplomacy (including an unusual bilateral meeting between Americans and Iranians), you can bet that Israeli military planning for an attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities has moved into overdrive. Yet there's another ticking clock the Israelis are worried about that hasn't been in the headlines quite so much.

For years now, Tehran has been working hard to acquire sophisticated Russian antiaircraft missiles that would make it far tougher for Israeli planes to stage a successful attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. One Israeli lawmaker, Zeev Elkin, even warned last week that delivering the missiles could even speed up the timing of an Israeli air raid. "I hope Moscow understands that the deliveries will at least speed up such events, if not trigger them," Elkin told the Russian daily Kommersant. Experts estimate that a working Iranian nuclear weapon is still probably at least a year away, depending on a host of contingencies. But the Russian missiles, which just might ensure that Iran's nuclear installations can be protected from attack, could be delivered at any time. So it's easy to understand why, right now, Israeli minds seem to be focused on the more urgent of these two ticking clocks.

The system in question is the S-300 -- actually something of a catchall term because the name covers several systems of varying ages and levels of effectiveness. The S-300 is essentially the Russian equivalent of the American Patriot: quick-reaction missiles designed to defend large areas of airspace against incoming airplanes and ballistic missiles. Although the S-300 has never been tested under combat conditions, military experts have a high opinion of its capabilities -- especially those of the more recent variants like the PMU-2 Favorit (known in the West as the SA-20B), which can track 100 targets while engaging up to 12. It can hit targets as far as 120 miles away. "It's a high-technology weapon," said Siemon Wezeman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks arms shipments around the world. "It has an impact which is not restricted to just two or three square kilometers. It's a major thing."

Turkey stands at Iran's side

Asia Times (Link) - Saban Kardas (September 16, 2009)

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid an official visit to Iran on September 12-13, during which he met Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani and the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Following his meeting with Mottaki, Davutoglu and his counterpart stressed the importance they attach to bilateral relations, as well as regional cooperation. Davutoglu noted that the two countries shared deep-rooted historical ties and their neighborly relations are based on the principle of refraining from interfering in each other's affairs. He outlined many areas where they explored boosting bilateral relations, ranging from economic cooperation to security. Referring to this multi-dimensional partnership, Mottaki described Turkish-Iranian relations as "strategic".

The foreign ministers emphasized that given the centrality of the threat of terrorism facing both countries, they will continue their collaboration in combating this phenomenon, referring to their joint efforts against the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan.

Davutoglu also highlighted the flourishing economic activity between the two countries, noting that the bilateral trade volume has reached US$11 billion annually, despite the global economic crisis. In addition to discussing cooperation in various areas, the two main items on Davutoglu's agenda were the nuclear issue and energy cooperation.

'We may have to attack Iran by Dec.'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (September 16, 2009)

Israel will be compelled to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if Western powers do not impose serious sanctions against Teheran by the end of 2009, former deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh said on Wednesday.

"We cannot live under the shadow of an Iran with nuclear weapons," he was quoted as telling Reuters in an interview on a visit to the UK. "By the end of the year, if there is no agreement on crippling sanctions aimed at this regime, we will have no choice."

Sneh reportedly stressed that a military strike would be "the very, very last resort. But ironically it is our best friends and allies who are pushing us into a corner where we would have no option but to do it."

"I wonder if they will [put a tougher sanctions regime in place] quickly enough. If not, we are compelled to take action."

Syrian-Turkish relations.. mutual respect and continuous development in all fields, report

Syrian Arab News Agency (Link) - Fadi Allafi .Mazen Eyon (September 15, 2009)

Development in the Syrian-Turkish relations in the political, economic and social fields comes as a response to both countries' desire to expand and boost prospects of bilateral cooperation in the interest of the two countries as well as working together to find solutions to the Middle East problems and achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region.

The increasing political ties between the two countries opened future horizons before all joint work, particularly in fields of economy and investment. Mutual visits between officials in both countries have contributed to boosting the standing cooperation.

The state visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Turkey in January 2004 was a historic turning point in bilateral relations.

The President's successive visits to Turkey as well as the visits of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyeb Erdogan and other officials to Syria have opened the way wide to establish distinguished ties and achieve a remarkable move in all fields.

President al-Assad has stressed that Syrian-Turkish relations are based on truth and joint interests and challenges, while President Gul considered them as an example to be followed by other countries.

Obama Is Pushing Israel Toward War

The Wall Street Journal (Link) - Bret Stephens (September 15, 2009)

Events are fast pushing Israel toward a pre-emptive military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, probably by next spring. That strike could well fail. Or it could succeed at the price of oil at $300 a barrel, a Middle East war, and American servicemen caught in between. So why is the Obama administration doing everything it can to speed the war process along?

At July's G-8 summit in Italy, Iran was given a September deadline to start negotiations over its nuclear programs. Last week, Iran gave its answer: No.

Instead, what Tehran offered was a five-page document that was the diplomatic equivalent of a giant kiss-off. It begins by lamenting the "ungodly ways of thinking prevailing in global relations" and proceeds to offer comprehensive talks on a variety of subjects: democracy, human rights, disarmament, terrorism, "respect for the rights of nations," and other areas where Iran is a paragon. Conspicuously absent from the document is any mention of Iran's nuclear program, now at the so-called breakout point, which both Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his boss Ali Khamenei insist is not up for discussion.

What's an American president to do in the face of this nonstarter of a document? What else, but pretend it isn't a nonstarter. Talks begin Oct. 1.

All this only helps persuade Israel's skittish leadership that when President Obama calls a nuclear-armed Iran "unacceptable," he means it approximately in the same way a parent does when fecklessly reprimanding his misbehaving teenager. That impression is strengthened by Mr. Obama's decision to drop Iran from the agenda when he chairs a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Sept. 24; by Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly opposing military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities; and by Russia's announcement that it will not support any further sanctions on Iran.

Russia 'delivers SAMs to Syria'

UPI (Link) (September 4, 2009)

Russia has begun deliveries of Pantsir S1 air-defense missiles to Syria, some of which are expected to be passed on to Iran, Syria's strategic ally that has largely bankrolled the deal, according to the Interfax-AVN military news agency.

Interfax quoted Yuriy Savenkov, deputy director general of the Instrument Design Bureau, or KBP, as saying that deliveries started several weeks ago. KBP produces the Pantsir and other high-precision weapons.

Meantime, Kommersant quoted Alexei Fedorov, head of Russia's United Aircraft Corp., as confirming the existence of a 2007 contract with Syria for eight twin-engined MiG-31E interceptors.

This aircraft, NATO codename Foxhound, can fly at three times the speed of sound and engage several targets at a range of up to 110 miles simultaneously.

But Fedorov said that none has been delivered because work on the jet fighters at United Aircraft's Sokol plant in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod had been suspended because of strenuous objections by Israel against upgrading Syria's rundown military.

The MiG contract is worth an estimated $400 million to $500 million.

Israel has Iran in its sights

Los Angeles Times (Link) - Micah Zenko (August 30, 2009)

Unless Tehran responds by late September to international proposals on its nuclear program, history strongly suggests the Israelis will act alone.

Iran has until late September to respond to the latest international proposal aimed at stopping the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear weapon. Under the proposal, Iran would suspend its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a U.N. Security Council commitment to forgo a fourth round of economic and diplomatic sanctions.

But if diplomacy fails, the world should be prepared for an Israeli attack on Iran's suspected nuclear weapons facilities. As Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently acknowledged: "The window between a strike on Iran and their getting nuclear weapons is a pretty narrow window."

Russia, Saudi set to finalise giant arms deal

Khaleej Times (Link) - AFP (August 29, 2009)

Saudi Arabia is close to signing a two-billion-dollar (1.4-billion-euro) deal to buy Russian arms, a Russian defence industry source was quoted as saying on Saturday.

“Work is nearly complete on a set of contracts on the delivery of Russian arms and military technology to Saudi Arabia, with a total value of around two billion dollars,” the source told Interfax news agency.

“For many of these contracts, all the technical and financial details have practically been agreed, for others work is still ongoing,” he added.

Riyadh may purchase up to 150 helicopters — 30 Mi-35 attack helicopters and up to 120 Mi-17 transport helicopters — more than 150 T-90S tanks, around 250 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and “several dozen” air defence systems, the source said.

Contracts for the sale of the tanks and the helicopters “could be signed as soon as this year,” he told Interfax.

New alliance emerging in the Middle East

Winnipeg Free Press (Link) - Samuel Segev (August 25, 2009)

Syrian President Bashar Assad's visit to Tehran last week has revealed a new regional element that has been largely ignored by Western observers. Assad's visit was officially described as a goodwill trip to congratulate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his re-election as Iran's president. But what came out following Assad's meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was an idea for an unofficial quadripartite alliance between Syria and Iran, with Turkey and Iraq joining.

Israeli sources anticipated such a proposal. They said that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was not ignorant to this idea. While officially struggling to join the European Union, Turkey has begun to accept the possibility that its European dreams are unlikely to materialize. At the same time, Turkey's hopes for a mediating role in peace talks between Israel and Syria, are also beginning to fade. Israel now insists on direct negotiations with Damascus.

Assad's visit to Tehran was a kind of a slap in the face to President Barack Obama. Assad is the only Arab (or foreign) head of state to congratulate Ahmadinejad in person in Tehran.

In anticipation of Obama's major foreign policy speech at the UN General Assembly in New York in mid-September, Assad decided to keep all his foreign policy options open. Hence, and contrary to his "neutral" stance in the Lebanese parliamentary elections in early June, Assad is now very much, and discreetly, involved in the coalition-making efforts in Beirut. Syria is supporting its traditional allies -- Hezbollah and General Michel Aoun's party -- with the aim of giving them a practical veto-power over all future government decisions.

Is Russia Turkey’s alternative to the EU?

Today's Zaman (Link) - Şahin Alpay (August 17, 2009)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Ankara on Aug. 6 marked another major step in the growing relations between Turkey and Russia. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Putin signed some 20 agreements in the fields of energy and trade.

Ankara gave its approval to the proposed South Stream gas pipeline from Russia to the European Union under the Black Sea through Turkish territorial waters; Moscow committed Russian crude oil to the planned Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline. The agreements even included some concerning Russian participation in the construction of Turkish nuclear energy plants. Putin also signaled an end to restrictions at Russian customs on Turkish export goods.

Moscow attaches great importance to South Stream and Ankara to Nabucco, which will carry Caspian and Central Asian gas to the EU through Turkey, the agreement on which was signed just last month. It is uncertain as to how these two projects, regarded by many as rivals, will affect each other. Some Turkish experts maintain that South Stream is likely to either delay or rule out Nabucco, while others argue that the EU is likely to give priority to the latter. Putin has not, on the other hand, ruled out Russian interest in the Burgas-Alexandropoulos pipeline, regarded by many as a rival to Samsun-Ceyhan, while Russian authorities have expressed doubts about the feasibility of the latter. (Eurasia Daily Monitor, Aug. 7.)

Only time will tell which side will gain the most, but it is already clear that economic globalization and interdependence have brought together Turkey and Russia, traditional adversaries until the Cold War’s end. Since then, trade has grown quickly between the two countries. Russia supplies energy to Turkey, and Turkey supplies Russia with many of its required goods and services. Societal relations are also on the rise. Russian have the largest share among tourists visiting Turkey, and among foreigners marrying Turkish men and settling in the country.

Russia set to modernize Libya's Soviet-era tanks

RIA Novosti (Link) (August 17, 2009)

Russia and Libya have signed a contract to overhaul at least 145 T-72 Russian-made battle tanks in service with the Libyan Army, a senior government official said on Monday.

Moscow and Tripoli have been involved in talks on the modernization of the T-72 tanks since 2006 as part of renewed efforts to revive bilateral military-technical cooperation.

"Work has been conducted in the Libyan direction, and we have already made headway after signing a number of contracts with the country over the past year, including on the modernization of T-72 tanks," Konstantin Biryulin, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The official said talks on Russian arms deliveries to Libya are underway, but refused to disclose any details of the future contracts due to their confidential nature.

"I do not want to help our competitors in their work [on the Libyan arms market]," Biryulin said.

Turkey And Russia: Old Rivals, New Partners

The Economist (Link) (August 13, 2009)

Through the long Ottoman era, Turks and Russians fought many bloody wars. In modern times Turkey guarded NATO’s southern flank against Soviet mischief. “The Russians are treacherous” is a popular Turkish adage. But one would hardly have guessed it as the two countries’ prime ministers, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, splashily signed a raft of agreements in a ceremony in Ankara on August 6th.

“Treacherous” was in fact the word some applied to the deal with Russia’s Gazprom to use Turkish territorial waters in the Black Sea for a gas pipeline to Europe. The planned South Stream pipeline will bypass Ukraine, through which 80% of Russia’s gas exports to Europe now flow. Russia has repeatedly turned off the taps in disputes with Ukraine, leaving millions of Europeans in the cold. To reduce dependence on Russia, the European Union has long promoted a pipeline to the Caspian, Nabucco, which Turkey also signed up for in July. So whose side is it on?

The answer is simple: Turkey’s. Sitting at the crossroads of the energy-rich Middle East and the former Soviet Union, Turkey has unique leverage as a transit hub for gas. And it is unabashedly using the energy card to promote its membership of the EU. This requires co-operation with Russia. In exchange for backing South Stream, Turkey won Russian support for an oil pipeline from the Black Sea port of Samsun to the Ceyhan terminal on the Mediterranean. It is also said to have cajoled Russia into lowering the price for a nuclear-power station. Nabucco and South Stream are not rivals, they are complementary, insists Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu.

Kremlin bill on using army abroad

BBC News (Link) (August 10, 2009)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has introduced a bill to parliament that would allow the country's armed forces to intervene beyond Russia's borders.

The bill would allow Russian troops to be used abroad "to rebuff or prevent an aggression against another state" or "protect Russian citizens abroad".

Mr Medvedev said the bill was linked to last year's war with Georgia over South Ossetia, Russia's Interfax reports.

'Russia, Iran to hold naval maneuver'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (July 29, 2009)

For the first time, Russia and Iran will hold a joint naval maneuver in the Caspian Sea, The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported Wednesday. According to the report, the maneuver will include 30 Russian and Iranian ships, as well as helicopters.

A senior official in the Iranian ports authority was quoted by the report as saying that the maneuver would increase the coordination between the two countries, and focus on search and rescue operations and the prevention of pollution. The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the report.

Russia enjoys extensive trade ties with Teheran and has been opposed to imposing further sanctions on Iran over its uranium enrichment program.

Moscow is building Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has provided Teheran with weapons and needs Iranian assistance on the Caspian Sea and other regional issues.

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that Iran is "our neighbor, it's a country which can play a very important role in solving a number of acute international issues, such as the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and different aspects of Mideast peace settlement."

In June, a Russian news agency reported that the completion of Iran's first nuclear plant was being delayed by Russian banks refusing to work with Iran.

Iran is paying Russia more than $1 billion (€630 million) to build the light-water reactor and has already received several shipments of enriched uranium for its operation.

Medvedev Makes Unprecedented Visit To Grand Mosque

Radio Free Europe (Link) (July 16, 2009)

President Dmitry Medvedev has toured Moscow's Grand Mosque, the first such visit by a Russian head of state, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports.

Medvedev met with the head of the Council of Russian Muftis, Ravil Gainutdin, and praised the role of Muslim organizations in the country's political life.

Gainutdin called Medvedev's visit to the mosque "historic."

The mosque, built in 1904, has been under reconstruction since 2006. Medvedev said the government will continue to support the work.

He added that he supports the idea of building a mosque in the city of Sochi, which will host of 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Authorities had previously only offered to build a temporary mosque that would be taken down after the Olympics.

'Iran's response will be real, decisive'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - AP (July 6, 2009)

Iran is ready to take "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a senior Iranian parliamentary official said Monday.

The remarks by Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, came after US Vice President Joe Biden signaled that Washington would not try to prevent any such Israeli assault.

"Both the US and Israel are aware of the consequence of an erroneous decision," Broujerdi told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Tokyo.

"I believe our response will be real and decisive," Broujerdi said. He declined to elaborate.

Biden was asked on ABC's This Week whether the US would stand in the way militarily if the Israelis decided they needed to take out Iran's nuclear program.

"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," he said in an interview broadcast Sunday, thus seeming to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat.

Broujerdi also defended a recent crackdown on protesters following Iran's presidential election, saying that Iranian police had merely acted to restore order, and accusing reformist leader Mir-Hussein Mousavi of instigating the protests.

"There is no confusion. It is (now) a totally peaceful situation in Iran," he said. Broujerdi is currently visiting Japan as chairman of the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League.

Russia, China sign cooperation pact

United Press International (Link) (June 18, 2009)

China and Russia formalized their interest in forging a closer relationship Wednesday, signing a five-point statement on mutual cooperation.

The signing came during Chinese President Hu Jintao's three-day state visit to Moscow following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and the meeting of representatives of Brazil, Russia, India and China in Yekaterinburg in central Russia, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Hu and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev spent time exchanging views on major international and regional issues before reaching a broad consensus, Xinhua said.

With the two countries having worked out their border issues, the two leaders expressed their desire to maintain stability in the region. They also said the countries will work together to develop their energy industries and oppose global trade protectionism.

Iran and Russia nip at US global dominance

Christian Science Monitor (Link) - Fred Weir (June 16, 2009)

The "age of empires has ended" and the "international capitalist order is retreating," declared a beaming Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday, speaking in the Siberian city of Yekaterinburg before an audience that included the top leaders of Russia, China, and India.

Experts are debating why Iran's controversial president chose to address the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional grouping led by Russia and China – of which Iran is only an observer – even as he still faces mass protests and sharp questions at home over his deeply disputed election victory last week.

Some argue that Mr. Ahmadinejad selected exactly the right forum in which to make his case. The six-member SCO, founded in 2001, has grown rapidly into a key political and economic alliance, which has successfully moved to oust United States military bases from member states Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and is angling for a much wider role in regional affairs.

The group comprises Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. India, Pakistan, Iran, and Mongolia attend meetings as observers.

Iran embassy in Moscow says Ahmadinejad to visit Russia Tuesday

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - AP (June 15, 2009)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad postponed a planned Russia visit by one day but will make the trip Tuesday, the Iranian Embassy in Moscow said.

Ahmadinejad had been expected to travel to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on Monday and meet with President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a regional summit.

The change in plans came amid street protests in Iran following Ahmadinejad's re-election in a bitterly disputed vote Friday.

Not long before his expected arrival, the embassy said Monday that Ahmadinejad would not come that day.

Earlier, the embassy reported that Ahmadinejad had put off the trip indefinitely and it was unclear whether he will come at all.

Israel Begins its Biggest Civil Defense Drill

Voice Of America (Link) - Robert Berger (May 31, 2009)

Israel is holding the biggest civil-defense drill in its history. Amid growing tensions with Iran, Israel is training soldiers, emergency crews, and civilians for the possibility of all-out war. Major Chezi Deutch is an officer in Israel's Home Front Command.

"It is part of the overall plan to increase preparedness and readiness in the country, dealing with civil defense and with emergencies in the civilian population," Deutch said.

The scenarios include massive missile attacks possibly with chemical or biological weapons. "What we are expecting, what we would like to see is to have the population act as they would in time of a real crisis," Deutch said.

The crisis Israel fears is a massive rocket and missile barrage on all fronts: from Iran in the East, to Syria and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in the North, to the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel's southern border in the Gaza Strip.

That could happen if Israel carries out its threat to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. With the Iranian president threatening to wipe the Jewish state "off the map," Israel has warned time and again that it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. And the civil-defense drill seems to be a clear message to Teheran that the military option remains on the table.

Russian Official Says that Israel is Behind Continuous Tension in the Middle East

Syrian Arab News Agency (Link) (May 25, 2009)

Vice-president of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs in Moscow General Leonid Ivashov said that Israel is behind the continuous conflicts and tension in the Middle East.

In a statement to Russia Today Satellite Channel, Ivashov said on Monday that achieving a comprehensive and just peace doesn't only serve the Middle East, but it also serves all humanity and in spite of that Israel doesn't work for achieving it.

In another context, Ivashov said that Syria is considered as a real partner to Russia, pointing out that trade exchange between Russia and Syria increased seven-fold during the last three years, the thing which asserts that there is a common interest and language between the two countries.

Ivashov hailed the deep historical relations between Syria and Russia which are in continuous advance, saying that Syria is considered a cultural center and a cradle of civilizations and that is why the cultural relations and values between Syria and Russia in the fields of military, economy and tourism must be bolstered.

Netanyahu sounds alarm over Hizbullah control of Lebanon

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - Herb Keinon (May 24, 2009)

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed concern during his talks in Washington last week that Hizbullah could gain considerable strength in the upcoming Lebanese elections and possibly put together a Shi'ite bloc that would control the country.

According to government sources, Netanyahu described Hizbullah control of Lebanon as a "dangerous" and "worrisome" possibility that needs to considered very seriously. This is a scenario that Netanyahu has been warning about in private meetings in recent weeks.

Lebanon is scheduled to hold its elections on June 7. US Vice President Joe Biden went to Lebanon on Friday to reinforce US support for the government ahead of the elections.