http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/main.asp?id=10&date1=10/30/2001

Russia approves missile shield for India

Updated on 10/30/2001 10:24:04 AM New Delhi (PPI): Russian President Putin has given the go-ahead signal to build a missile shield for India.According to a report he approved the proposal at a meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries in the Kremlin last week.

Putin is the chairman of the high-powered 11-member commission, overseeing Russia’s lucrative arms trade with foreign countries, while Deputy Prime Minister responsible for defence industry and arms exports, Ilya Klebanov is its secretary.

Klebanov, who co-chairs the Indo-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation, had publicly offered to build S-300 PMU missile defence system for India, during the visit of his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh, in last June said a KMS report.

After Putin’s clearance, Russians are expected to formally make the proposal to India to collaborate on building a missile defence system, during the coming visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, scheduled for November 4-7, sources said.

The price tag of the ambitious air shield is not known yet, but it’s going to be a part of a huge package, worth about five billion dollars, to be signed during Vajpayee’s visit, they pointed out.

India and Russia are expected to ink a number of defence agreements during Prime Minister’s visit, including a deal on modernization and retrofitting of heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and up to 40 MiG-29K aircraft, a lease contract for the four Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers, purchase of MiG-AT advanced jet trainers and Smerch multiple rocket launchers.

With the official proposal, India and Russia are expected to speed up their cooperation in building the missile defence, for which the two sides have been conducting negotiations for four years.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2001

Answers

oh, i see...they can have one but we can't?

screw that!

Get it moving, Bush! times awastin'!

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2001