The chief of staff of Syria's armed forces, Gen. Ali Habib, was set to open talks on military cooperation with high-ranking Russian defense officials on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said. Habib was to meet with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, and others. The ITAR-Tass news agency said the Syrian and Russian officials would discuss the weapons trade as well as opportunities for Syrian military personnel to be trained in Russian Defense Ministry academies. Habib was to visit a factory in Tula that produces the Strelets air defense system and Iskander-Elvira semi-strategic missile complex, ITAR-Tass said, citing an unnamed source in the Russian Defense Ministry. He was also scheduled to meet with top officials from Russia's weapons sales agencies during his three-day tour.
