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Iraq orders arms supply from China: `Washington Post'

Iraq has ordered light military equipment from China worth US$100 million because the US is unable to meet Baghdad's requirements, the Washington Post reported Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as saying yesterday.

The weapons are intended for Iraq's police, of whom only one in five officers are armed, it quoted Talabani as saying in an article published on its Web site.

The Iraqi president also called for faster US weapons deliveries to strengthen Iraq's army.

"The capacity of the factories here are not enough to provide us quickly with all that we need, even for the army," the newspaper quoted Talabani, who is visiting the US, as saying.

"One of our demands is to accelerate the delivery of the arms to the Iraqi army," he said.

Last week the Pentagon said it was ready to sell Iraq weapons worth up to US$2.3 billion to help its army expand and take over missions now carried out by US and other foreign forces.

It said the sale would include vehicles, small arms ammunition, explosives and communications equipment, as well as upgrades to 32 additional UH-1 helicopters.

The newspaper said US officials conceded Washington faced problems delivering everything Baghdad needed.

"We're working hard just to supply our own troops," an administration official told the newspaper.

"Our factories are working for our own troops. So it's true we don't have the ability to provide these rifles and other equipment they're looking for."

The Post said the deal with China has raised concerns among US military analysts because Iraq's security forces already cannot account for some 190,000 weapons already provided by the US, including 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles supplied in 2004 and 2005.

US officials fear some of the arms have made their way into the hands of insurgents, who are believed to have widely infiltrated police ranks.
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