Putin: Sale of missiles to Syria will block Israeli flyovers

The SA-18 missiles Russia is selling Syria "will of course make it difficult to fly over the residence of the Syrian president," Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly stated yesterday. "It will make flying low difficult," implying what has long been believed to be the reason for the sale of the anti-aircraft missiles: Syrian embarrassment over Israeli air force planes "buzzing" presidential palaces in Syria to issue warnings to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Russian president, who gave an interview to Channel One ahead of his historic visit next week to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, said the sale of the missiles to Syria would not upset the balance of power in the Middle East

In the interview, Putin referred to his good relations with Sharon and to the criticism leveled at him by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, because of his initiative to extend his term beyond the limits imposed by the Russian constitution. He said Russia would "abide by the existing law in Russia and not the attitudes of our allies," adding that "we would be happy if Rice runs for president one day in the U.S."

While Putin emphasized that the missile Russia is selling to Syria is vehicle launched and hardly a threat to Israeli planes, Israel is particularly worried by shoulder-launched versions of the missile, which could end up in the hands of Hezbollah along the Lebanese-Israeli border and limit Israeli air force overflights into Lebanon. Cont.