By Kevin Lizarazo
A United States jury found Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Union air force officer, guilty of attempting to sell weapons to a terrorist organization. Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” was caught in a US Drug Enforcement Agency-led sting that had agents pose as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Bout could have made millions of dollars in profit from selling weapons to the Colombian rebels, prosecutors said. Al Jazeera reported that sentencing will occur on Feb. 8, 2012, and he could face charges up to life in prison.
Al Jazeera also reported on the Israeli missile test-fire on Wednesday — the first such test in three years. The ballistic missile carried a new rocket propulsion system allowing the weapon to have a 6,437 kilometer range. With such a high range, the weapon could strike Iran. Iran, which Israel deems as its most dangerous threat, has been under public scrutiny for its intentions with its nuclear energy program.
The New York Times reported that a Russian negotiator announced that an agreement has been reached regarding a Swiss-mediated proposal that called for trade flow monitoring between Russia and Georgia. As it is essentially a trade deal, it brings Russia one step closer to being able to join the World Trade Organization. Russia’s accession into the W.T.O. would improve US-Russian relations, according to an Obama administration official who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity.
Finally, the New York Times reported that Arab League officials have announced that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will agree to remove forces from the streets of Damascus and release an estimated 70,000 political prisoners. Al-Assad’s regime would then open a dialogue with the opposition in Cairo. Skepticism that al-Assad will adhere to the Arab League’s conditions is abound, especially among the protestors in Damascus: “The regime will never implement it because as soon as they withdraw the tanks, the regime will fall,” said Adeeb Mohamed, a 22-year old Syrian student.
