WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has blocked a $5 million deal to sell
tank gun barrels to Syria.U.S. officials said the Bush administration pressed the Central European
republic of Slovenia to halt the sale of gun barrels for Syria's fleet of
T-72 tanks. The officials said the administration had determined that the
delivery of 125 mm smoothbore barrels would have significantly increased
Syria's ground attack capability."We approached the Slovenian government and expressed our concerns that
this sale could destabilize the Middle East," a U.S. official said. "The
government responded to our request and there will not be a sale."The agreement blocked by Washington had called for Slovenia's STO Ravne
to sell 50 tank barrels to Jordan. A Jordanian firm then planned to transfer
the equipment to Damascus.
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