THE AXIS OF GOOD :

India asked for Israeli shield for Pak Scuds (Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, June 27, 2002, Hindustan Times)

Early this month, Major-General Amos Yaron, director-general of Israel's Defence Ministry, flew in secretly twice to meet his counterparts in New Delhi. [...]

Jane's reported that India wanted to "buy or borrow" Israel's newly-launched Ofek-5 spy satellite. Yaron said Israel needed to keep it on an Iran-Syria-Iraq orbit, that it could not, even temporarily, be sent over Kashmir at the present time--as New Delhi wanted.

Yaron also turned down India's request for the Arrow anti-missile system--but only because the weapon was not yet ready. [...]

Diplomatic sources say the long-term obstacles to the sale of the Arrow and the Phalcon, both of which have US technology, are sections of the State Department and Democratic senators who still hope to revive the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Pentagon and the White House are more favourably inclined.

The burgeoning alliance between Israel and India--particularly if we can bring Turkey and Russia on board quickly and Iran and Jordan eventually--will do far more to impose world peace than the Test Ban Treaty ever could. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 27, 2002 7:17 PM