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Russia, US may sign Afghan military cargo deal

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-29 23:53

MOSCOW: Russia and the United States may sign a deal for more transits of US military cargo to Afghanistan via Russia when US President Barack Obama visits Moscow next week, Russia's ambassador to NATO said on Monday.

Sunlight is reflected off a dog tag during a Memorial Day observance ceremony at the Bagram airbase, north of Kabul May 25, 2009. The helmet, weapon, dog tags and boots represent fallen soldiers. [Agencies]

Moscow and its former Soviet allies in Central Asia agreed earlier this year to allow NATO to deliver non-lethal cargo to US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan across their territory, complementing a more dangerous route via Pakistan.

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Dmitry Rogozin, Moscow's envoy to NATO, said Russia had also signed bilateral agreements on additional cargo supplies to troops deployed in Afghanistan with France, Germany and Spain.

Asked in a video link from Brussels if a similar deal was being discussed with the United States, he replied: "Yes, we know the US side has addressed (Russia) with the same request. And not only the Americans but another country too, which I am not going to name now."

"This issue is to be decided during Obama's visit to Moscow." Obama is scheduled to make his first visit to Moscow as US leader on July 6-8.

General Nikolai Makarov, head of the Russian general staff, said last week that Moscow and Washington would sign deals on military cooperation during Obama's visit. He gave no detail.

Quoting a foreign diplomatic source close to NATO's leadership, Russia's Kommersant daily said on Monday that the deal with the United States would cover both land and air transits of US military cargo via Russia.

Some 12 US cargo planes could be crossing Russia's air space daily en route to Afghanistan, the diplomat said.

Russia's state-owned railway monopoly OAO RZhD, keen to earn extra revenue, is ready to handle US military cargo by rail, Kommersant quoted a Russian diplomat familiar with the issue.

However, Russia's drug enforcement agency said last Friday that Moscow should stop the transport of cargo across its territory to US-led forces in Afghanistan if they do not do more to cut the flow of heroin to Russia.