Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08MOSCOW3220
2008-11-03 04:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:  

STRONG CRITICISM FOR U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST

Tags:  PARM MTCRE PREL MNUC ETTC RS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #3220/01 3080406
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 030406Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0607
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 003220 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR VCI, EUR/PRA, AND EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018
TAGS: PARM MTCRE PREL MNUC ETTC RS
SUBJECT: STRONG CRITICISM FOR U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST
ROSOBORONEXPORT

REF: STATE 110756

Classified By: Ambassador John R. Beyrle for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 003220

SIPDIS

STATE FOR VCI, EUR/PRA, AND EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018
TAGS: PARM MTCRE PREL MNUC ETTC RS
SUBJECT: STRONG CRITICISM FOR U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST
ROSOBORONEXPORT

REF: STATE 110756

Classified By: Ambassador John R. Beyrle for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Russian officials have denounced the U.S.
decision to renew sanctions against Rosoboronexport (ROE) and
its subsidiaries under the terms of the Iran, North Korea and
Syria Nonproliferation Act (reftel). Arguing that ROE's
activity with Iran was fully compliant with international
law, President Dmitriy Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov asserted that unilateral U.S. sanctions would have no
effect on Rosoboronexport's activity. They warned that the
sanctions would negatively affect bilateral relations with
the U.S., as well as cooperation on Iran within the P5 1.
ROE accused the U.S. of "unfair competition" by trying to
limit Russia's ability to conduct foreign trade. Several
experts criticized the sanctions as yet another complication
in U.S.-Russian relations, and cautioned that the U.S.
decision could provoke Russia to sell more dangerous weapons
technology to Iran and Syria. In the economic sector, some
news reports maintained that the sanctions would hurt
Boeing's ability to purchase titanium through Rosoboronexport
subsidiary VSMPO-Avisma. However, as in the past, it is our
understanding that the sanctions order will not have any
impact on Boeing's titanium purchases or GM's joint venture
with Avtovaz, since the sanction order only applies to
purchases by or for the USG, not those of private U.S.
companies. End summary.

-------------- --
Officials Strongly Condemn Unilateral Sanctions
-------------- --


2. (SBU) On October 28, President Medvedev accused the U.S.
of "unprincipled competition" by imposing sanctions on ROE, a
decision he called "shortsighted" and "simply an attempt to
close doors on suppliers." He noted that Russia would
continue to sell arms and military equipment to maintain the
defense potential of its partners, regardless of the
sanctions. In its official statement, ROE echoed the
President's remarks, claiming the U.S. wanted to suppress

competition. The statement attributed the U.S. decision to a
desire in Washington to weaken Russia's standing as a global
arms export leader. ROE also dismissed U.S. arguments that
the TOR-M1 missiles Russia supplied to Iran posed a threat to
U.S. forces in the region. The statement alleged that the
TOR-M1 improved Iran's defensive air capabilities, which
would enable Tehran to protect its nuclear, chemical, and
energy facilities from high-precision attacks, which could be
carried out using weapons produced in the U.S.


3. (SBU) Both ROE and Foreign Minister Lavrov asserted that
the sanctions had no basis in international law, and Lavrov
warned that the U.S. decision would negatively affect
relations with Russia. In an October 24 press conference,
Lavrov noted sarcastically that imposing sanctions would not
make Russia more willing to adopt U.S. positions regarding
Iran's nuclear program. An official MFA statement stressed
that the sanctions would complicate U.S.-Russian cooperation
in the P5 1. Russia also accused the U.S. of hypocrisy,
arguing that the U.S. ignored arms transfers by its allies to
rogue regimes, an implicit reference to Ukrainian arms
supplies to the Georgian military. Even Russia's NATO
Ambassador Dmitriy Rogozin insisted the U.S. had no evidence
of Russia delivering banned military technologies to Iran,
and accused the U.S. itself of supplying the Iranian Air
Force with forbidden equipment.


4. (SBU) At the October 30 Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) Heads of State Summit, the Director of the Bank for
Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vneshekonombank)
Vladimir Dmitriyev told reporters that the U.S. sanctions on
ROE could factor into the SCO's decision to start trading in
national currencies or third-country currencies, as opposed
to dollars. According to Dmitriyev, Russia's close
military-technological cooperation with countries like China
and India, an SCO member state and observer respectively,
could compel the SCO to consider this idea. However, no SCO
member state has yet to issue any concrete proposals.

--------------
Experts Also Critical
--------------


5. (C) Several experts were critical of the sanctions, and
questioned their timing at a period when bilateral relations

were under great strain. Aleksey Arbatov of the Carnegie
Moscow Center and Georgiy Mirskiy of the Institute of Higher
Economics told us that, with several challenges already
complicating U.S.-Russian relations, senior Russian officials
would regard the sanctions as disrespectful and aggressive.
They cautioned that the sanctions could embolden hardliners
within Medvedev and Putin's inner circles, who champion more
active arms sales of weapons like the S-300 missile to Iran
and Syria, and could undermine senior advisers who favor a
more conciliatory approach towards relations with the U.S.
The editors of the Independent Military Review, looking ahead
past the upcoming Presidential elections, predicted the
sanctions, in addition to missile defense, the CFE Treaty,
and post-START negotiations, would impede the normalization
of relations between the Kremlin and the next U.S.
Administration. They also dismissed any notion that the
sanctions would hurt Rosoboronexport, which has 30 billion
dollars of contracts and no major deals with the U.S.
government.

--------------
No Impact on U.S. Businesses
--------------


6. (SBU) It is our understanding that the current sanctions
order will not have any impact on U.S. businesses here,
despite some claims in the Russian press that the renewed
sanctions on ROE would affect Boeing's purchases of titanium
from VSMPO-Avisma, which is part of the same corporate family
as ROE. (Avisma is one of the world's leading suppliers of
titanium to the global aerospace industry, and its customers
include Airbus, Bombardier and Boeing, which uses the
super-light metal in the 787 Dreamliner, the 777, and in
other aircraft.) The terms of the sanctions order only limit
USG purchases from sanctioned companies and their
subsidiaries, not purchases by private U.S. companies for
non-USG contracts. (N.B. For any U.S. government contracts,
we understand that Boeing acquires titanium from a U.S.
source, rather than from Avisma). Boeing told The Moscow
Times that it would not be affected by the current sanctions
order, and in past sanctions cases against ROE, Boeing has
stated that the order would not affect their Avisma supply
contracts. Likewise, given the sanctions order's limitations
to USG purchases, GM's joint venture in Togliatti with
Avtovaz (also part of the Rostekhnologiya-Rosoboronexport
corporate family),which began in 2001 and produces the
Chevrolet Niva, should not be affected. A GM Moscow senior
adviser on government relations for Russia and the CIS
confirmed to us that the various sanctions against ROE had
not had any impact on GM's dealings with Avtovaz, and, as the
sanctions are currently structured, they do not anticipate
any impact in the future.

BEYRLE