Volume 1 - Iraq Watch

contract reads “as for the second party (the RussianNuclear Disaster Victims Fund Institution)—the Russians blockade imposed on Iraq will not beconsidered ‘a forceful circumstance’.’’• The telemetering package total cost was $500,000.The Iraqis planned to deposit the funding for thecontract in the Ahli Bank in Amman, Jordan. Amemo from the manager of ARMOS, dated 29January 2002, states that the chairman of the RussianNuclear Disaster Victims Fund requested thatARMOS deposit the amount for the 2 contracts intothese accounts.ISG judges that this telemetering equipment wouldhave provided Iraq with ground-based transmittingand receiving stations and the associated modulesfor fitting into missiles. The ground-based stationswould have utilized monitoring equipment for thetracking of missiles during flight tests. This telemeteringequipment would have had a working operationaltransmission range of 200 km, despite the UNimposed 150 km range limit for Iraq’s indigenouslyproduced missiles.2002—Russian Company’s Sales Contract forMilitary Helicopter EquipmentISG recovered a contract between Al-Basha’ir Companyof Iraq and Notr Inc of Russia that negotiatedthe sale of Russian MI-8MT helicopter equipment.Please see Figure 38 and overleaf for a copy of thiscontract.2003: Iraqi MIC Delegation Visits RussiaInformation from a former high-level Iraqi officialindicates that an Iraqi joint delegation met with representativesfrom four or five private Russian companiesto discuss how the companies could providetechnical expertise to the Iraqi military.• In January 2003, members of an Iraqi delegationheld meetings with representatives from 4 or 5Russian companies in the trade section office ofthe Iraqi embassy in Moscow. Dagher MuhamadMahmud, the MIC Deputy Director, SulaymanAl-Huraymis, Director of the IIS M-23 Directorate,and Dr. Suham, Director of the ARMOS Companyparticipated in the meetings.• Several Russian company representatives met withIraqi delegates and discussed providing technicalexpertise to the MIC. Dagher and Russian representativesdiscussed using their company’s expertiseto improve and build weapons such as artilleryand tanks. Dagher also discussed financial mattersinvolving the MIC’s debt to Russian companies.2003: Russian Team Visits Iraq To Train AirDefense TechniciansAccording to an official from the Iraqi Al Kindi Company,a Russian technical team visited Iraq in Januaryor February 2003 to train technicians on an upgradeto an air defense system. The training was conductedin Baghdad.Possible Breaches of UN Sanctions by BulgarianCompaniesSummary of Bulgarian Involvement 1999-2002:Bulgarian companies contracted to upgrade Iraqitanks and invited Iraqis to visit Bulgaria to viewmilitary equipment including a fighter jet engineworkshop.1999-2002: Bulgarian Company Supplies IraqWith Military GoodsRecovered documents indicate that a Bulgarian Companyoffered to supply Iraq with night vision gogglesand parts for Iraqi T-55 tanks and aircraft from 1999to 2002.• Letters from the General Manager of SARA-M,Sofia, dated 1999-2002, offered the Brigadier Generalof GMID various military goods.• A letter refers to previous meetings, in which theIraqi side requested tanks and night vision goggles.In this letter, SARA-M attached a factory cataloguetranslated into Arabic and stated that they hope“that it satisfies, through which they can serve ourheroic Army to break down the embargo implementedupon our struggling nation.” The SARA-MCompany General Manager also stated that he isready to discuss means of supply, quantity, andprice with the GMID.280