AFAPREDESA
The Association for the Families of Saharawi Prisoners and the Disappeared
Moroccan Minister Arrives in Russia for Weapons
AFAPREDESA has learned that Morocco's Foreign Minister
Mohamed Benaissa visit to Moscow starts today, June 9, 2006. The highlights
of Benaissa’s
meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will be stepping up
military and technical cooperation. According to analysts, Rabat may need
Russian weapons to pre-emt further separatist pretension in Morocco-controlled
Western Sahara and
to solve the conflict there for its own benefit. AFAPREDESA is deeply concerned
as this will affect Saharawi citizens lives.
The official agenda of today’s meeting of Lavrov and Benaissa sets forth discussing the joint fight against terrorism, situation in the Middle East, Iraq and Iran and settlement in the Western Sahara. The informal highlight, however, could be widening military and technical cooperation of Moscow and Rabat. The delegation of Morocco is likely to negotiate with Russia’s weapons exporter, Rosoboronexport, about big contracts for weapons.
The sources say one of Benaissa’s concerns in Moscow is to check the progress in military contracts worth nearly $250 million, which were concluded in January 2005. The key point of the contracts is delivery of 12 Tunguska-M1 missile and gun complexes. The first consignment of six Tunguska-M1s was supplied past year and Benaissa could be willing to supervise the delivery of remaining complexes.
Another concern of Benaissa could be to agree on the purchase of a wide range of armaments, including up to 50 missile launchers and 1,000 missiles of 9K115-2 Metis-M antitank systems, spares and armaments for T-72 tanks, a few dozens of BTR-90 and BMP-3 combat vehicles and up to a hundred of military KamAZ trucks.
Moreover, Benaissa apparently intends to start talks about purchasing up to 20 Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters, a few high-speed motor boats and amphibious vessels. The contracts for these armaments, which overall budget is estimated at above $1 billion, could be sealed during Putin's visit to Rabat slated for this September.