RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO ATGM TRANSFER TO SYRIA

S E C R E T MOSCOW 011833 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2016 TAGS: PREL PARM ETTC RS SY IS SUBJECT: RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO ATGM TRANSFER TO SYRIA REF: A. MOSCOW 9468 ¶B. MOSCOW 9244 ¶C. STATE 139267 Classified By: DCM Daniel A. Russell. Reasons 1.4 (B/D). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: Russia's investigation into the transfer of anti-tank guided missiles to Syria has confirmed that some Russian-made weapons had been funneled to Hizballah. As a result, the head of the Tula design bureau responsible for the transfer has been fired, and the Foreign Ministry has been held responsible for the failure to disseminate Putin's August 18 decision to halt a planned shipment to Syria. The Russian Government has officially informed Syria of its intent to carry out stricter end-use control checks. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (S) Sergey Petlyakov, Chief Counselor in the Arms and Technology Transfer Division of the Foreign Ministry's Department for Security Affairs and Disarmament, gave us an update October 19 of the GOR's investigation into the transfer of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to Syria (reftels). Petlyakov said Moscow shared U.S. concerns about the proliferation of sensitive weapons systems to unauthorized end users. In the case of the August 19 transfer of ATGMs to Damascus, he told us the delivery had been an unfortunate mistake that stemmed from a failure to disseminate throughout all elements of the bureaucracy President Putin's August 18 decision to halt the shipment. Petlyakov stated that the head of the Tula Design Bureau of Instrument Building, which was involved in the shipment, had been replaced. The Foreign Ministry has been held responsible for failing to disseminate Putin's instructions adequately. ¶3. (S) According to Petlyakov, an interagency team traveled to Syria, where they visited weapons storage sites and met with officers responsible for ensuring the proper end-use of weapons systems. The team discovered that some Russian-made weapons had indeed been funneled to Hizballah, attributing the leakage to corrupt Syrian military officers. Petlyakov noted, however, that the team learned that Hizballah members had used a variety of weapons systems -- not just Russian -- during the summer conflict in Lebanon, which they had probably obtained illegally. As a result of the team's intervention, Petlyakov said several Syrians had been punished, and the GOR officially informed the SARG of Moscow's intention to exercise more aggressively its right to check on the end-use of Russian weapons systems. It would not be "business as usual," Petlyakov emphasized, adding that stricter end-use control was also in Russia's interest. ¶4. (C) Asked about tighter export controls in general, Petlyakov confirmed that Moscow had recently strengthened the rules, with the aim of improving interagency coordination and outlining specific responsibilities. The new implementing instructions went into effect October 6 and were officially published October 11. They are still based on Russia's fundamental arms export control regime, which is Presidential Decree 1062, signed September 10, 2005. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Russia's investigation and follow-up action on the ATGM transfer are a serious response to concerns raised by the U.S. and Israel. Russia, however, obviously plans to continue weapons sales to Syria, albeit hopefully with stricter end-use controls. BURNS