http://wps.wm.ru:8101/chitalka/media_politic/en/20030114.shtml#0

RUSSIAN SHIPS BOUND FOR THE PERSIAN GULF Sources at the Pacific Fleet
headquarters say that big anti-submarine warfare ships "Admiral Panteleev"
and "Marshal Shaposhnikov" will make a sortie to the Persian Gulf in the
second half of February. The ships will defend Russian national interests
in the region in a potential armed conflict between the United States and
Iraq.
Nothing is known about how much time the ships will stay in the region, but
they are to be accompanied by a tender (a must, since Russia no longer has a
naval base in Cam Ranh, Vietnam).

A staff officer: As a matter of fact, in late 2002 funds were allocated for
the current repairs of most surface combatants and auxiliary ships... That
is why the Black Sea Fleet and Pacific Fleet are in the midst of
preparations for command exercises. They will take place in the Black Sea
in March and in the Pacific in summer...

The last time Russian ships monitored the situation in the Persian Gulf was
in 2000, when the American Navy arrested several Russian tankers. A spyship
of the Black Sea Fleet monitored the Persian Gulf from its station in the
Mediterranean then.

Rear Admiral (retired) Georgy Kostev: Unfortunately, our Navy cannot display
its pennant in any region of the world anymore. We could choose ships for
sorties in the past. These days, however, we send out only what is
seaworthy.

      Izvestia,
      January 14, 2003, EV ,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~