RUSSIA EYES ISKANDER SALE TO SYRIA

MOSCOW [MENL] -- Less than two years after blocking such a sale, Russia
appears ready to approve the export of the Iskander-E long-range rocket to
Syria.

Government sources said President Vladimir Putin has agreed to examine a
Syrian request for the Iskander-E, with a range of 280 kilometers. In 2005,
Putin pledged to Israel and the United States that Iskander would not be
sold to the regime of President Bashar Assad.

"Two years have passed and relations with Syria have improved tremendously,"
a government source said. "This time, the Russian Defense Ministry expects
Putin to approve the sale."

The Iskander-E, termed the SS-26 Stone by NATO, has been touted as one of
the most effective long-range rockets in the world. The manufacturer, KBM,
has asserted that the Iskander could be fitted with multiple warheads
designed to defeat any missile defense system.
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