Kremlin hits back at Iraq arms sales allegations

The Kremlin went on a media offensive today, giving its own version of a conversation between the US and Russian presidents about American claims that Moscow illicitly sold military equipment to Iraq.

Russian officials hinted that Washington itself had sold sensitive equipment to other nations.

The White House said US President George Bush called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday to complain about alleged sales of anti-tank guided missiles, GPS jamming devices and night-vision goggles to Iraq, which could pose a danger to American troops.

But Kremlin spokesman Alexei Gromov said today that during the conversation, it was Putin who had brought up the allegations, denying them and telling Bush that Russia had provided “information on the absence of such supplies” on many occasions.

“The president of Russia also notes that the discussion concerns unproved, public declarations that can damage the relations between the two countries,” Gromov said.

“Moreover, in reply, the American side was addressed with questions on analogous problems, which have not been answered yet.”

The Kremlin press office, which usually issues its statements by fax or through the main Russian news agencies, took the unusual step of calling news organisations and dictating Gromov’s statement over the phone.

He gave no more details on Putin’s accusation. But later today at the Russian nuclear weapons centre Sarov, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev accused some of the America’s “closest allies” of providing dangerous nuclear equipment to Iran – turning the tables on Washington, which has frequently accused Moscow of leaking nuclear and missile technologies to Tehran.