Syria turns to Belarus for missile upgrades

Syrian authorities have turned to Belarus to advance their surface-to-surface missile capabilities, flouting EU, UN and US sanctions against a backdrop of increasing western exasperation with the regime of Bashar Al Assad. EU Foreign and Security Policy sources - who have asked not to be identified - confirmed to IHS Jane's that "as of February this year, Belarus' state-owned weapons development and production corporation, Belvneshpromservice, and Syria's Organization of Technological Industries [OTI] - a front company used by the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center SSRC to procure dual-use technologies - were in advanced negotiations to construct and develop an industrial unit in Syria for the manufacture and development of Fibre Optic Gyroscopes [FOG]"

[first posted to http://idr.janes.com - 09 March 2012]