Report: U.S. Complains to Lebanese Govt. for Attempting to Strike Russian Tank Deal
The United States has reportedly questioned Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri's decision to “diversify” the number of countries from which to obtain weapons as part of the Saudi military grant to the army, said As Safir newspaper on Saturday.
Widely informed sources told daily that the U.S. filed an official complaint to the Lebanese government, the army command in particular, for attempting to strike a deal with Russia on supplying the army with used T-72 tanks.
The U.S. is set to provide the army with new tanks.
The sources said that the U.S. presented the Lebanese powers documented information that “Lebanese and Russian mediators are set to make commissions worth the sum of the entire deal.”
The details of the figures were not disclosed, but they exceed 100 million dollars, said As Safir.
The Saudi grant is worth a billion dollars, which will be directed to the army and other security agencies in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, South Korea had expressed an interest in joining the list of countries partaking in the military deal.
It proposed that the Lebanese army purchase Korean military equipment, while it will grant Lebanon a modern frigate.
China had also proposed selling Lebanon weapons at reduced prices.
A Lebanese military delegation had traveled to Beijing recently to that end.
In August, Hariri announced that Saudi Arabia has provided Lebanon's army with one billion dollars to strengthen security.
Earlier in November, Saudi Arabia and France inked in Riyadh a deal to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of French weapons.
M.T.
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