MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax-AVN) - Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is going to run for president in the country's upcoming election, wants to finalize an agreement on buying weapons from Russia before the election campaign officially begins, retired General Hussam Sweilem, an Egyptian military expert, said in an interview on the Voice of Russia radio.
"Arms supplies will begin in mid-2014. The deal will be worth $2 billion and paid for by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," he said.
To participate in the election campaign which starts in March, el-Sisi will have to formally quit the post of defense minister.
This is why he paid a visit to Moscow and held talks precisely in February, while still being the minister, the Egyptian expert said.
"Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had to make this visit precisely as the head of the Armed Forces. Little time is left for preparations for the presidential election, and already in a month's time he will have to take off his military uniform. He has to finalize the arms deals while still being the defense minister," Gen. Sweilem said.
Reports that the Egyptian purchases of Russian weapons will be funded by Saudi Arabia and the UAE are true, he said.
"Last week, just before our two (defense and foreign) ministers' arrival in Moscow, the Egyptian army chief of staff traveled to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. There he discussed the financial aspects of the deal that will be paid for by installments. It will be the two countries' gift to the Egyptian people," the expert said.
Egypt, which had been buying weapons from the U.S. over the past few decades, was pushed towards this deal with Russia by the U.S. condemnation of the toppling of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the general said. As a result, the U.S. suspended its military aid to Egypt.
"The visit (by the Egyptian ministers to Moscow) is to some extent a reply to the United States, which continues to back the Muslim Brotherhood toppled by the Egyptian people, as well as a response to the freezing by the U.S. of military cooperation with Egypt. For instance, we never received 120 Abrams tanks, 21 F-16 fighters, and 12 Apache helicopters. Currently, we are trying to resist the U.S. pressure and maintain Egypt's sovereignty," Gen. Sweilem said.
The deal with Russia does not mean the breaking of our military cooperation with the U.S., he said. "We do not want to terminate our relations with America completely. Cairo is just creating a new balance in its relations with two world superpowers, the U.S. and Russia. By the way, we also intend to cooperate with China," the Egyptian expert said.
To my knowledge, under the reached agreements with Egypt, Russia is to supply, in particular, 24 Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets, Kornet second-generation anti-tank missiles, Tor-M1 antiaircraft missile systems, and Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17 combat helicopters, he said. "We asked for S-300 (missiles), but I do not think Russia will give it to us now," the former military said.
The agreement with Russia aims to radically re-equip the Egyptian army, the expert said. "At the moment about 40% of our military hardware are old modifications of Russian systems and machines such as MiG-21, for instance. In future we want to obtain a license to manufacture and assemble weapons here, in Egypt, and to start producing parts for U.S. weapons. Thus we shall complete our transition to the real diversification of arms sources," the Egyptian general said.