USA CAN RECONSIDER IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA

AZG Armenian Daily
29/08/2006

After the meeting with Russian defense minister Sergey Ivanov in
Alaska, US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that the
sanctions on Russian "Sukhoi" and "Rosoboronexport" (sole state
intermediary agency for Russia’s military exports/imports) can be
reconsidered.

"I think we can go back to that issue and understand what actually
happened and what facts the Department has."

RFI radio station reminds that the US State Department imposed
sanctions on these Russian arms producing and exporting companies on
August 4 2006 thus holding back companies registered in the USA to
cooperate with the Russian companies. As a reason the US side argued
that "Sukhoi" and "Rosoboronexport" had violated a US law of 2002
banning cooperation with Iran in the military sphere.

Yet, the Russian Foreign Ministry claims that both Russian companies
cooperate with foreign states based on international regulations and
Russian legislature.

One of major reasons behind the sanctions was sale of Russian Su-27
fighter jets and other military equipment to Venezuela.