Brett Robson wrote:
> On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 16:34:33 +0900, Declan Murphy  ...
> 
>>Monsieur mtfester@netscape.net wrote:
>>
>>>Monsieur Brett Robson <jet_boy@deja.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 12:31:42 -0400, Monsieur Kevin Gowen  ...
>>>
>>>>>From 1973 to 2002, the warmongering USA sold $200 million in arms to Iraq,
>>>>
>>>>>accounting for 1% of Iraqi arms imports for that period. During the same
>>>>>period, peace-loving UN Security Council members Russia, France, and China
>>>>>sold $25.145 billion (57%), $5.595 billion (13%), and $5.192 billion (12%)
>>>>>in arms to Iraq, respectively.
>>>>>Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
>>>>>(Figures are trend-indicator values expressed in US dollars at constant
>>>>>(1990) prices)
>>>>
>>>>URL please.
>>>
>>That would be
>>
>>http://projects.sipri.se/armstrade/Trnd_Ind_IRQ_Imps_73-02.pdf
>>
>>with the background data at
>>
>>http://projects.sipri.se/armstrade/atirq_data.html
>>
>>For some reason Denmark sold more by value, but when you dig around it 
>>turns out to be one (landing) ship. Apart from the Danes and the French, 
>>all weapons sales of a value higher than the US were from communist bloc 
>>and satellites with the exception of Brazil - exports of light armoured 
>>vehicles. All of the US sales (aviation) took place during a 5 year 
>>period during the Reagan admin.
>>
>>What Kevin didn't mention was that the figures from 1991-2002 are zero 
> 
> He also forgets to mention a little war in the area 1980-89(?) and that when the

September 1980 to around August 1988.

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/iraniraq.htm

seems to be an interesting summary.

> USSR stopped supplying arms to Iraq for the first 18months because of Iraqi
> aggression, the US sold them aircraft (amongst other things). Iran had American
> weapons including F-14 Tomcats, much of which came via Israel, which were used
> to attack neutral merchant vessels.

My understanding is that the F-14s (and other weapons systems) were 
mostly sold to Iran prior to the 1979 revolution when Iran was still 
under the rule of the Shah. - hence the whole arms for hostages 
"Iran/Contra" bruhaha when the US supplied much needed electronics and 
other components for the F14s (etc) in the hope that Iran would wield 
whatever influence it may have had in Lebanon and elsewhere regarding 
the release of hostages. I'm not familiar with any Israeli role.

>>Also interesting is 
>>that the French armaments industry has zero sales to the USA/UK & Australia.
> 
> The US wouldn't let us buy some of the clearly superior French weapons.

The Mirage purchases predate the period given in the quote. 
Compatibility issues may be a major reason, but I can't think of any 
major defence purchases since the late 80's in which French contractors 
have been competing for the tender. Any examples?


-- 
"As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying 
to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor 
I against them. They are "only doing their duty", as the saying goes. 
Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who 
would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other 
hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed 
bomb, he will never sleep any the worse for it. He is serving his 
country, which has the power to absolve him from evil"  - George Orwell, 
England Your England, 1941