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 area1980-89(?) and that when the
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.



>(for all countries) hence neither the French nor Russians were losing 
>any contracts, though the French and Germans were in a position where 
>they would lose exchange rate risk free oil import contracts since 
>Iraq's INOC priced its oil in Euros.
>
>> Actually, that sounds about right. Most Iraqi weapons were either French
>> or of Soviet design. 
>
>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.









-

"Wherever you go, you carry a message of hope - a message that is ancient and
ever new. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'To the captives, come out, and to
those in darkness, be free."' Bush II exhorting his soldiers on their Crusades.
"light the darkness of the entire world" Kita Ikki