From: "Gary Britt" 

The last time Russian and USA aircraft tangled over Syria the Israeli's
shot down 80+ Russian fighters and the Syrians shot down ZERO, NADA, NONE
of the F-16s.

LOL,

Gary

"Adam"  wrote in message
news:44e4780b{at}w3.nls.net...
> http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/02/syrianbase.shtml
>
> Y'know wot I woz saying wrt sailing AD warships in for a port visit when
> the Israelis were bombing Lebanon....welll..... seems like the Russians
> have twigged the idea...
>
> http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/02/syrianbase.shtml
>
> "Russia has begun works in the Syrian port of Tartus seeking to built a
> full-scale naval base for the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, currently
> based in Ukraine’s Sevastopol, the Kommersant newspaper reported on
> Friday, quoting unnamed sources in the Defense Ministry and the General
> Staff of the Russian Navy.
>
> The paper noted that this is the first time Russia is setting up a
> military base outside the CIS since the fall of the USSR and that the base
> will allow Moscow to pursue its own line in the Middle East.
>
> Russia has also started work in the port of Latakia in Syria, the
> newspaper said. The base in Tartus and the new mooring in Latakia will be
> able to serve the needs of the Black Sea Fleet and possibly the North Sea
> Fleet as well.
>
> The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that in the nearest future the
> Russian Navy will form a squadron headed by the Moskva missile cruiser
> which will permanently operate in the Mediterranean, taking part in joint
> exercises with NATO forces.
>
> The sources said that the new base would allow Russia to strengthen its
> positions in the Middle East and also enhance Syrian security.
>
> However, the Russian Defense Ministry has refuted the report. Russia is
> not building a military base in Syria, spokesman for the Ministry Colonel
> Vyacheslav Sedov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying."
>
>
> & it ain't just sailing AD capable warships about the place....
>
>
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=IVA20060728&a
rticleId=2847
>
> "According to our sources, Russia is deepening the port of Tartus ( Syria)
> where it has a naval materiel and technical supplies center. This may be
> regarded as evidence of Russia's determination to make Syria a bridgehead
> for boosting its influence with Middle East.
>
> Russia has had a naval materiel and technical supplies center in Tartus
> since the 1970s. Vladimir Zimin, advisor on the staff of the Russian
> Embassy in Syria, says that the port is being made deeper at present.
> Similar work is under way in the port of Latakia. All this may be regarded
> as evidence of Russia's determination to make Syria a bridgehead for
> boosting its influence with Middle East. The materiel and technical
> supplies center may eventually gain the status of a base of the Black Sea
> Fleet.
>
> Defense Ministry sources, speaking anonymously, hint that Moscow has some
> far-reaching plans indeed. A group of ships under the missile cruiser
> Moskva (Black Sea Fleet flagship) is to be formed within the next three
> years. The group will be stationed in the Mediterranean Sea on the
> permanent basis. Among other tasks, it will participate in
> counter-terrorism operation Active Endeavor with NATO forces. Hence the
> necessity to make the Tartus and Latakia facilities ready for the Russian
> surface warships - ships of the Black Sea Fleet and eventually the
> Northern Fleet as well. (The latter will be used to reinforce the Russian
> Mediterranean naval group whenever necessary.)
>
> But a source in the Naval Main Command said that establishment of a
> fully-fledged base in Tartus could help Russia with warships and tenders
> withdrawn from Sevastopol in the Crimea. In fact, once the bottom of the
> Tartus port is deepened, the port will be able to receive all ships of the
> Black Sea Fleet without exception.
>
> Defense Ministry sources point out that a naval base in Tartus will enable
> Russia to solidify its positions in the Middle East and ensure security of
> Syria. Moscow intends to deploy an air defense system around the base - to
> provide air cover for the base itself and a substantial part of Syrian
> territory. (S-300PMU-2 Favorit systems will not be turned over to the
> Syrians. They will be manned and serviced by Russian personnel.)
>
> According to our sources, Russia and Damascus reached an agreement on
> modernizing Syria's air defenses. Its medium-range S-125 air defense
> systems will be upgraded to the Pechora-2A level. The upgrade will
> certainly improve Syrian air defense, which uses hardware supplied to
> Syria back in the 1980s. Moscow is prepared to offer Syria more
> sophisticated medium-range Buk-M1s as well. Close-range Strelets systems
> sold to Damascus last year are all the Syrian air defense system has to
> show by way of sophisticated gear at this point (these systems use Igla
> SAMs).
>
> Syria wants more than that. A contract for modernization of 1,000 T-72
> tanks was drawn and signed. Yesterday, Arms-TASS news agency reported
> successful tests of T-90C tanks "in a certain Middle East country" and
> Rosoboroneksport's negotiations over their sale. Other Russian-Syrian arms
> talks under way concern two Amurs (Project 1650 diesel submarines), some
> SU-30MKI fighters along with YAK-130s, and modernization of MIG-29 frontal
> fighters. Damascus also aspires for a consignment of the latest Pantsir-C1
> air defense systems designed in Tula.
>
> Establishment of a base in Tartus and rapid advancement of military
> technology cooperation with Damascus make Syria Russia's instrumental
> bridgehead and bulwark in the Middle East. Damascus is an important ally
> of Iran and irreconcilable enemy of Israel. It goes without saying that
> appearance of the Russian military base in the region will certainly
> introduce corrections into the existing correlation of forces. Russia is
> taking the Syrian regime under its protection. It will almost certainly
> sour Moscow's relations with Israel. It may even encourage the Iranian
> regime nearby and make it even less tractable in the nuclear program
> talks."
>
> I wonder if they will base aircraft there as well.
>
> Adam

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