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ALBANIAN ARMS SAID EXPORTED TO SYRIA VIA MONTENEGRO IN 2009 DESPITE US BAN
Dan website, Podgorica, Montenegro
Nov 6 2012
Report by "M.V.": "Selling Arms to Al-Asad's Regime"
[Translated from Serbian]
Albanian armament exported by Montenegro Defence Industry and
Belgrade's CPR by way of Montenegro ended up in Syria, a country
that the US State Department had a year earlier named as a sponsor
of international terrorism.
A combined customs form and a bill of lading for dangerous cargoes,
dated September 2009 and obtained by Dan, show that 2.5 tons of 7.62
mm caliber munitions and 154,520 antitank grenades left Montenegro's
Port of Bar on board the Barbet Arrow on 30 September 2009 bound for
Syria's Port of Latakia. These were M79 OSA [Wasp] antitank grenades.
Although at that time the United Nations and the European Union had
not formally clamped an embargo on the sale of arms to Syria, there
was a decision of the US State Department, quoted in a 2008 report
on terrorism, to the effect that Syria was sponsoring international
terrorism, so that the US foreign ministry had blacklisted that
country along with Sudan, Cuba, and Iran.
That there was something not quite right about these deals was
established by examining annual reports on trade in externally
controlled commodities for 2009 and 2010, which made no mention of
the arms shipment listed in the bill of lading and the customs form.
Deliveries to other countries, on the other hand, were meticulously
recorded. The Montenegrin Government did not report the existence of
an arms transfer such as mentioned on the customs form and the bill
of lading for the cargo outbound for Syria.
According to the bill of lading, the cargo was inspected by
Podgorica-based Montinspekt Company, while MM Friendship was named as
the shipping agent. The combined customs form named DG Arms Corporation
in Armenia as the end client. Listed as the final destination of
the ship Barbet Arrow was the port in Syria, which at the time was
not effected by the country's bloody civil war. However, an uprising
flared up in Syria in the spring of 2011 against the regime of Bashar
al-Asad, which has long been targeted by the Western powers, which
insist that it is undemocratic and use every opportunity to call for
its ouster from office.
Despite all this, Albanian journalist Gjergj Thanasi, who has been
investigating suspect arms deals in Montenegro, Serbia, Albania,
and Macedonia for years, says in a statement to Dan that this is
another case of international arms smuggling by way of Montenegro,
which, he insists, has been going on for years.
"What is especially interesting is that the port in Syria was chosen as
the final destination, although it would have been much more practical
to have gone to Armenia by way of Georgia, to which there is a direct
maritime connection from Bar. All this clearly points to the conclusion
that the weaponry went into the hands of Al-Asad's regime," Thanasi,
who has been publishing articles on illegal arms trade in Albanian
press for years, insists.
He says that an incident in 2007, when Turkish authorities confiscated
an arms shipment from Albania in the Bosporus, has forced the smugglers
to cast about for alternative routes.
Albania's opposition Socialist Party official Erion Brace recently said
that the Albanian Defence Ministry was involved in the smuggling of
about 200,000 artillery shells by way of Bar to countries in Africa
and the Middle East. Brace told media in Albania that the sale of
arms to Montenegro, specifically to Montenegro Defence Ministry (MDI),
was in violation of the Albanian national security strategy.
Journalist Thanasi explains that the Albanian state-owned company
that sells armament and military equipment, MEIKO, has been involved
for years in suspect deals with Montenegro Defence Industry, which
is represented by Zoran Damjanovic.
"There is extensive documentation on deals between MDI and MEIKO and
there have been numerous debates on this subject in Albania. Zoran
Damjanovic was the person that signed contracts on behalf of Montenegro
for the sale of arms from Albania to Montenegro," Thanasi tells Dan.
It may be remembered that the Albanian Government's data show that
in 2008 and 2009, Montenegro imported obsolete armament from Albania,
overhauled it, and then sold it on to "third countries."
According to the Albanian Defence Ministry's report, submitted
to that country's parliament last year, Montenegro imported about
170,000 grenades, which were probably subsequently sold on, although
data show that, on gaining independence in 2006, thousands of tons of
military materiel were inherited in the military depots in Montenegro
and should be destroyed. After Montenegro gained independence, about
12,000 tons of military materiel remained in the military depots
on Montenegrin territory, nearly 9,800 tons of which is believed to
be surplus to requirements. Therefore, it is not easy to understand
how it was possible for the state-owned arms trading company, MDI,
to import armament from Albania, overhaul it, and sell it on to a
third country. On the other hand, the north of Montenegro has been
chosen as a suitable location for destroying our own surplus armament,
which is supposedly obsolete and needs to be disposed of. Research
has confirmed that this action contaminated both air and ground.
Erion Brace argued that the Albanian Defence Ministry sold almost
all of the weaponry, munitions, explosives, and army vehicles to two
firms - Montenegro Defence Industry and UNIMESCO.
Brace said that in 2010 and 2011, the Albanian state-owned arms trading
company, MEIKO, sold 15,987 kg of amatol, 93,880 kg of TNT trotyl,
9,990 units of 37 mm caliber grenades, 100 units of 12.7 mm caliber
POMs, 100 units of 60 mm mortars, 50,000 units of 82 mm mortar shells,
182,000 mortar shells, and 24,000 units of 120 mm grenades.
[Box 1] Tirana Denies Smuggling Took Place
In response to increasingly frequent public allegations, the Albanian
Defence Ministry insisted that every transaction involving munitions
and weaponry was made in conformity with national and international
law.
"This process involves a number of domestic and foreign institutions
that constantly check all activities concerning the export of armament
and military equipment," the Albanian Defence Ministry said in its
response to Erion Brace's allegations.
It insisted that the allegations were being made by people that want
to block Albania's European integration, to create a problem for
Albania with NATO, and to hurt the image of the armed forces.
[Box 2] Damjanovic Rejects Allegations
When press started reporting last year about arms trafficking across
Montenegro, MDI representative Zoran Damjanovic told Podgorica media
that this firm had in fact imported weaponry from Albania, but that
there was nothing problematic about that, and that the weaponry was
not subsequently exported to countries under an international embargo.
The transcript from a session of the Albanian Parliament's Internal
Security Commission of May of last year quotes Member of Parliament
Arben Cuka as asking Defence Minister Arben Imami whether he had any
information about an export of 174,000 artillery shells to Montenegro.
Quoting an arms trade report that the department headed by Imami had
submitted to the Commission earlier, Cuka asked about an export of
300 units of 12.7 mm machineguns for buyers in Montenegro.
Arben Imami confirmed that the weaponry had gone to Montenegro,
but added that the Albanian Government did not know for what purpose.
"Montenegro does not have the capacity to store such a large quantity
of armament and your evaluation is valid," Imami said.
[Box 3] Investigation in Italy
The Guardia di Finanza, Italy's law enforcement service, was alerted
by a report that weaponry was sold to north African regimes through
Montenegro and the Prosecution Department in Bari is investigating
the matter, La Repubblica newspaper reported last year.
The Italian newspaper said that "a foreign mafia controls Montenegro's
Port of Bar for the export of armament."
"The route used today is the same one used for drugs and cigarettes.
Armament travels from former Yugoslav countries by way of the Puglia
region to Greece, Turkey, and on to north African countries. This has
been alleged also by the chief prosecutor in Bari, Antonio Laudati,
who says that the smuggling has increased especially over the past
two years. This has also been confirmed by a series of ongoing
investigations," La Repubblica wrote.
[Translated from Serbian]
From: Baghdasarian
Dan website, Podgorica, Montenegro
Nov 6 2012
Report by "M.V.": "Selling Arms to Al-Asad's Regime"
[Translated from Serbian]
Albanian armament exported by Montenegro Defence Industry and
Belgrade's CPR by way of Montenegro ended up in Syria, a country
that the US State Department had a year earlier named as a sponsor
of international terrorism.
A combined customs form and a bill of lading for dangerous cargoes,
dated September 2009 and obtained by Dan, show that 2.5 tons of 7.62
mm caliber munitions and 154,520 antitank grenades left Montenegro's
Port of Bar on board the Barbet Arrow on 30 September 2009 bound for
Syria's Port of Latakia. These were M79 OSA [Wasp] antitank grenades.
Although at that time the United Nations and the European Union had
not formally clamped an embargo on the sale of arms to Syria, there
was a decision of the US State Department, quoted in a 2008 report
on terrorism, to the effect that Syria was sponsoring international
terrorism, so that the US foreign ministry had blacklisted that
country along with Sudan, Cuba, and Iran.
That there was something not quite right about these deals was
established by examining annual reports on trade in externally
controlled commodities for 2009 and 2010, which made no mention of
the arms shipment listed in the bill of lading and the customs form.
Deliveries to other countries, on the other hand, were meticulously
recorded. The Montenegrin Government did not report the existence of
an arms transfer such as mentioned on the customs form and the bill
of lading for the cargo outbound for Syria.
According to the bill of lading, the cargo was inspected by
Podgorica-based Montinspekt Company, while MM Friendship was named as
the shipping agent. The combined customs form named DG Arms Corporation
in Armenia as the end client. Listed as the final destination of
the ship Barbet Arrow was the port in Syria, which at the time was
not effected by the country's bloody civil war. However, an uprising
flared up in Syria in the spring of 2011 against the regime of Bashar
al-Asad, which has long been targeted by the Western powers, which
insist that it is undemocratic and use every opportunity to call for
its ouster from office.
Despite all this, Albanian journalist Gjergj Thanasi, who has been
investigating suspect arms deals in Montenegro, Serbia, Albania,
and Macedonia for years, says in a statement to Dan that this is
another case of international arms smuggling by way of Montenegro,
which, he insists, has been going on for years.
"What is especially interesting is that the port in Syria was chosen as
the final destination, although it would have been much more practical
to have gone to Armenia by way of Georgia, to which there is a direct
maritime connection from Bar. All this clearly points to the conclusion
that the weaponry went into the hands of Al-Asad's regime," Thanasi,
who has been publishing articles on illegal arms trade in Albanian
press for years, insists.
He says that an incident in 2007, when Turkish authorities confiscated
an arms shipment from Albania in the Bosporus, has forced the smugglers
to cast about for alternative routes.
Albania's opposition Socialist Party official Erion Brace recently said
that the Albanian Defence Ministry was involved in the smuggling of
about 200,000 artillery shells by way of Bar to countries in Africa
and the Middle East. Brace told media in Albania that the sale of
arms to Montenegro, specifically to Montenegro Defence Ministry (MDI),
was in violation of the Albanian national security strategy.
Journalist Thanasi explains that the Albanian state-owned company
that sells armament and military equipment, MEIKO, has been involved
for years in suspect deals with Montenegro Defence Industry, which
is represented by Zoran Damjanovic.
"There is extensive documentation on deals between MDI and MEIKO and
there have been numerous debates on this subject in Albania. Zoran
Damjanovic was the person that signed contracts on behalf of Montenegro
for the sale of arms from Albania to Montenegro," Thanasi tells Dan.
It may be remembered that the Albanian Government's data show that
in 2008 and 2009, Montenegro imported obsolete armament from Albania,
overhauled it, and then sold it on to "third countries."
According to the Albanian Defence Ministry's report, submitted
to that country's parliament last year, Montenegro imported about
170,000 grenades, which were probably subsequently sold on, although
data show that, on gaining independence in 2006, thousands of tons of
military materiel were inherited in the military depots in Montenegro
and should be destroyed. After Montenegro gained independence, about
12,000 tons of military materiel remained in the military depots
on Montenegrin territory, nearly 9,800 tons of which is believed to
be surplus to requirements. Therefore, it is not easy to understand
how it was possible for the state-owned arms trading company, MDI,
to import armament from Albania, overhaul it, and sell it on to a
third country. On the other hand, the north of Montenegro has been
chosen as a suitable location for destroying our own surplus armament,
which is supposedly obsolete and needs to be disposed of. Research
has confirmed that this action contaminated both air and ground.
Erion Brace argued that the Albanian Defence Ministry sold almost
all of the weaponry, munitions, explosives, and army vehicles to two
firms - Montenegro Defence Industry and UNIMESCO.
Brace said that in 2010 and 2011, the Albanian state-owned arms trading
company, MEIKO, sold 15,987 kg of amatol, 93,880 kg of TNT trotyl,
9,990 units of 37 mm caliber grenades, 100 units of 12.7 mm caliber
POMs, 100 units of 60 mm mortars, 50,000 units of 82 mm mortar shells,
182,000 mortar shells, and 24,000 units of 120 mm grenades.
[Box 1] Tirana Denies Smuggling Took Place
In response to increasingly frequent public allegations, the Albanian
Defence Ministry insisted that every transaction involving munitions
and weaponry was made in conformity with national and international
law.
"This process involves a number of domestic and foreign institutions
that constantly check all activities concerning the export of armament
and military equipment," the Albanian Defence Ministry said in its
response to Erion Brace's allegations.
It insisted that the allegations were being made by people that want
to block Albania's European integration, to create a problem for
Albania with NATO, and to hurt the image of the armed forces.
[Box 2] Damjanovic Rejects Allegations
When press started reporting last year about arms trafficking across
Montenegro, MDI representative Zoran Damjanovic told Podgorica media
that this firm had in fact imported weaponry from Albania, but that
there was nothing problematic about that, and that the weaponry was
not subsequently exported to countries under an international embargo.
The transcript from a session of the Albanian Parliament's Internal
Security Commission of May of last year quotes Member of Parliament
Arben Cuka as asking Defence Minister Arben Imami whether he had any
information about an export of 174,000 artillery shells to Montenegro.
Quoting an arms trade report that the department headed by Imami had
submitted to the Commission earlier, Cuka asked about an export of
300 units of 12.7 mm machineguns for buyers in Montenegro.
Arben Imami confirmed that the weaponry had gone to Montenegro,
but added that the Albanian Government did not know for what purpose.
"Montenegro does not have the capacity to store such a large quantity
of armament and your evaluation is valid," Imami said.
[Box 3] Investigation in Italy
The Guardia di Finanza, Italy's law enforcement service, was alerted
by a report that weaponry was sold to north African regimes through
Montenegro and the Prosecution Department in Bari is investigating
the matter, La Repubblica newspaper reported last year.
The Italian newspaper said that "a foreign mafia controls Montenegro's
Port of Bar for the export of armament."
"The route used today is the same one used for drugs and cigarettes.
Armament travels from former Yugoslav countries by way of the Puglia
region to Greece, Turkey, and on to north African countries. This has
been alleged also by the chief prosecutor in Bari, Antonio Laudati,
who says that the smuggling has increased especially over the past
two years. This has also been confirmed by a series of ongoing
investigations," La Repubblica wrote.
[Translated from Serbian]
From: Baghdasarian