Libya: From Weapons To Gas, Russia Fears Losses
By MISNA
“The Libyan crisis is costing us four billion dollars,” said Sergej Čemezov, director of the arms export monopoly that exports weapons, confirming estimates published last Monday by Kommersant”.
Qadhafi’s collapse would entail the loss of two billion dollars worth of contracts and purchase for ant-aircraft missiles and some aircraft totaling a further 1.8 b billion.
The arms embargo imposed by the Security Council on Libya has already started. However, in Russia they are also worried as the Kommersant newspaper revealed some of the leading figures having business with the Qadhafi regime.
There is Gazprom, which has licenses to explore at least four hydrocarbon deposits and which bought from the Italian ENI some 178 million dollars, shares in the Elephant Projects. The Russian railway company Rossijskije Železnyie Dorogi, engaged since 2008 in building a 2,2 billion dollar project for a Bengahzi –Sirt road. Then there is Tatneft, an energy and infrastructure group working to expand electricity and infrastructure.
On Thursday, at the end of a meeting to discuss Libya, Russian and Saudi government representatives warned against any sort of “external political military interference”.
Meanwhile, regardless of the outcome, arms dealers are looking ahead “Russian weapons for Arab revolutionaries” is the ironic title featured in Gazeta”, noting the contracts that still connect Moscow to Algiers.
The paper was referring to the latest declarations from Rosoboronexport. As per the contract, the government of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika will be able to receive new SAM S-300 weapons, able sto strike a target some 150 km distance.
