forwarded to Iraq, despite an international embargo against the Middle East nation, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) Daily Bulletin reported Tuesday, July 16.
Ministry Spokesman Gyorgy Joos told MTI that Hungary had not concluded "any sort of contract" for the purchase of weapons or other military equipment, with Syria.
Joos made the comments after the Tel Aviv daily Ha’aretz, reported Monday, July 15, that Syria was forwarding weapons and military equipment to Iraq, which it received from several Eastern European countries, including Hungary and Russia.
WEAPONS BOUGHT ILLEGALLY
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) News Agency said that the weapons were bought illegally with petrodollars from the United Nations supervised oil-for-food program.
Among other items, Russian-made jet engines, refurbished Russian tank engines and Czech anti-aircraft cannon are being delivered to Iraq via this route, Israeli media reported.
With the United States threatening to lead an overthrow of the Iraqi regime, Baghdad appears to have sped up efforts to ready its armies for hostilities, with Syrian assistance, the ICEJ said.
The well informed Embassy also noted that Jordanian officials are being pressed to explain why Crown Prince Hassan attended the meeting held in London over the weekend between Iraqi opposition leaders and US and British representatives.
This gathering was believed by some to plot the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and to lay the frame work for a more democratic future for Iraq.
