The US Congress will consider a bill on accounting of Belarusian weapons sales. The bill envisages that the United States' Department of State provides annual reports on Belarus' sales of weapons, and the Russian participation in it, to the US Congress.

  The US lawmakers expressed concern about military contacts of Minsk with "countries supporting terrorism or refusing to cooperate with US in counter-terrorism operations", Moscow Kommersant newspaper says. In the future, the bill could lead to sanctions not only against Minsk, but against Moscow as well, the experts say.

The bill came directly to both houses of Congress. As stated in the document, according to official data, the Belarusian arms exports in the period from 1999 to 2006 amounted to $ 1 billion, which puts Minsk on 11th place in the list of leading arms exporters. According to the authors of the bill, this may be just a tip of an iceberg.

"The real volume of Belarusian arms shipments could significantly exceed the published official figures because arms trade treaties could include secret provisions agreed upon by the representatives of the Belarusian government or its state-owned enterprises", - the bill states.

"Belarus has been a major supplier of rockets, mortars, antitank weapons and mines to Palestinian extremist groups and to states sponsoring terrorism, such as Iran and Syria", the congressmen say. In addition, among the customers of Belarus worrying Washington there are countries that "refuse to cooperate with US in counterterrorism operations," such as Venezuela.

Minsk cooperation with Tehran is frightening the Congress in particular. In the early 2000-s, Belarus shipped to Iran products that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles, the US lawmakers remind. As a result, in 2004 the US even imposed sanctions on the Belarusian enterprise "Belvneshpromservice".

  Nevertheless, in May 2005, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he was willing to cooperate with Iran in "all areas", and Belarusian Parliament ratified an agreement on cooperation with the Islamic Republic in the military sphere.

  At the same time, the Capitol Hill believes that the arms business with rogue states is conducted by Minsk hand in hand with Russia. The document's authors recognize that Belarus inherited significant stockpiles of weapons from the Soviet Union.

  "However, the question arises whether these stocks could cause such a huge flow of arms from Belarus 18 years later (after the collapse of the USSR)", the bill states.

  The document contains direct reference to transactions where Russia could be involved, this way or another. Thus Belarus supplied Sudan with Mi-24 helicopters, artillery systems and armored vehicles produced in Russia and sent Russia's tank to North Koreas, and Russian-made military aircraft and aircraft engines to Iran.

The bill explicitly blames Russia for its unwillingness to cooperate with the United States to persuade Belarus to give up arms sales to countries sponsoring terrorism. Instead, the authors of the document say that Russia is increasing its military cooperation with Belarus.

  Citing the Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, the authors of the bill suggest that Russia fearing to supply Iran with anti-aircraft missile systems S-300 directly, tries to do it so through Belarus.

  As the US lawmakers say, in general Minsk is often a mediator in cases where Moscow denies its involvement in arms transfers. "But on this trade route, nothing happens without consent from Moscow", the document says.

Source:  Kavkaz Center