Rosoboronexport confirms commitment to supply S-300s to Algeria.

22/2 Tass 158

ABU DHABI, February 22 (Itar-Tass) - The contract with Algeria to
supply the second battalion of S-300 air defense systems will be executed,
Nikolai Demidyuk, head of the delegation of Rosoboronexport, a Russian
state-owned weapons trading company, confirmed to reporters here on
Tuesday. He was speaking at the IDEX 2011 exhibition.
When asked by Itar-Tass about the supplies of S-300 missile defense
systems (Russia has already supplied the first battalion), Dimidyuk said
"the Algerian order will be fulfilled."
"Yesterday, Algeria's deputy defense minister visited our stand; we
talked about it. The Algerians are very much pleased with the Smerch
multiple launch rocket system. They are ready to modernize them," he added.
Speaking about the Venezuelan order for the same type of air defense
systems, Demidyuk said Rooboronexport and Caracas had coordinated the
schedule of supplies: "the contract exists; it's for S-300VE. They have
financial problems. We recently coordinated the schedule of supplies;
we'll be meeting it."
Rosoboronexports believes that Russia might execute the large package
of arms contracts with Saudi Arabia (according to media reporters, it is
worth 4 billion dollars). "They (Riyadh) say everything remains in force;
we'll see when the documents will be signed," the official told reporters.
As for military cooperation with the country hosting the exhibition,
"we stepped up work after the exhibition in 2009 to modernize several
hundred BMP-3 infantry combat vehicles, but the contract has not been
signed yet," Dimidyuk said.
-0-myz/gor