Posted By Colum Lynch 
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - 6:38 PM 
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Sri Lanka potentially violated U.N. sanctions against Iran and North Korea, according to a confidential U.S. cable obtained by WikiLeaks and published by the Norwegian daily Aftenpost. According to the cable, Sri Lankan officials sought to procure grenade launchers, ship-borne rocket systems and other military equipment from Tehran and Pyongyang. U.S. intelligence was reported to have linked a Sri Lankan company that buys military equipment for the Sri Lankan military to an effort to purchase of RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) and multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) from North Korea's primary weapons trading firm. The cable also said that the United States had received information that Iran's Ministry of Defense Logistics Export Center (Modlex) has recently provided an $11.4 million quote to the Sri Lankan Navy to install rocket systems on their war ships.
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Sri Lanka's attempt at illegal arms deal with Iran, N.Korea exposed
[Wed, 05 Jan 2011, 02:08 GMT]
A classified State Department cable dated march 8, 2009, released by WikiLeaks and posted in Norwegian daily Aftenposten, revealed that Sri Lanka's alleged attempts to negotiate arms deal with Iranian Government and North Korean Government violated U.S's Iran Non-proliferation Act of 2000 (INKSNA), and the United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1718 (UNSCR 1718). Lanka Logistics, a Sri Lanka Government owned firm was named in the classified document as the Sri Lanka party involved in the illegal arms deal. Gotabaya Rajapakse, brother of Sri Lanka's President, held the post of chairman of the firm and exercised complete control over arms purchases, according to Colombo media reports. Full story >>
