(5 Jul 1999) Natural Sound
Syrian President Hafez Assad arrived in Moscow on Monday for talks on upgrading his military with Russian hardware.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported Assad will discuss the possible purchase of fighter jets, tanks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons.
Syria was a major market for Soviet weapons during the Cold War.
It is estimated that 90 per cent of Syria's military hardware was built in Russia or the Soviet Union.
Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov greeted Assad at the airport.
Assad planned to meet with President Boris Yeltsin and other top officials before leaving on Tuesday evening.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported Assad will discuss the possible purchase of Su-27 fighter jets, T-80 tanks, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.
It estimates 90 per cent of Syria's military hardware was built in Russia or the Soviet Union.
The two sides also were to discuss the possibility of renegotiating Syria's debt to Russia, which is estimated at about 12 (b) billion U-S dollars.
Russia and Syria have sought to boost ties in recent years, to the protest of the United States.
This May, Russia and Syria signed a 10-year deal on cooperating in the peaceful use of nuclear power.
The United States has put sanctions on three Russian companies involved in the sale of anti-tank weapons to Syria, and threatened to cancel 50 (m) million U-S dollars in aid to Russia if the deal was completed.
The contract apparently never went through, because Assad abruptly canceled a planned trip to Moscow in May after the Russian government would not promise to finalize delivering the weapons.
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