Merkel Says Tightening Ukraine-Russian Border Is Key To Peace Deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the standoff over Ukraine could be solved but only if control was tightened over the Ukraine-Russia border across which, the West alleges, Russia has been funnelling arms to help a separatist rebellion.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel looks on as Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko gestures in Kiev August 23, 2014

 

Merkel was visiting Kiev as a prelude to a meeting next week between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders that diplomats say is the best chance in months of a peace deal in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are fighting pro-Moscow rebels.

But she arrived as tensions flared up again.

NATO has alleged Russia's military is active inside Ukraine helping the rebels, and Moscow angered Kiev and its Western allies by sending an aid convoy into Ukraine against Kiev's wishes.

"There must be two sides to be successful. You cannot achieve peace on your own. I hope the talks with Russia will lead to success," said Merkel, looking ahead to a meeting on Tuesday involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.

"The plans are on the table...now actions must follow," the German leader told a news conference after talks with Poroshenko in the Ukrainian capital.

She said a ceasefire was needed, but the main obstacle was the lack of controls along the nearly 2,000 km (1,300 mile) border.

She proposed an agreement between Kiev and Moscow on monitoring of the frontier by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Poroshenko suggested he saw scope for accord.

“The Ukrainian side and our European partners will do everything possible to bring about peace - but not at the price of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the independence of Ukraine," he said.

Hours before her plane landed in Kiev, there was heavy artillery bombardment in Donetsk, the main separatist stronghold on the east of Ukraine, near the border with Russia.

Reporters saw apartments destroyed and puddles of blood, where, according to residents, two civilians were killed.

The unusually intense shelling may be part of a drive by government forces to achieve a breakthrough against the rebels in time for Ukrainian Independence Day, which falls on Sunday.

Diplomats say Merkel has two aims for the visit: primarily to show support for Kiev in its stand-off with Russia, but also to urge Poroshenko to be open to peace proposals when he meets Putin next week.

TRUCK CONVOY 

The conflict in Ukraine has dragged Russian-Western relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War and sparked a round of trade sanctions that are hurting already-fragile economies in European and Russia.

A convoy of about 220 white-painted trucks rolled into Ukraine on Friday through a border crossing controlled by the rebels after days waiting for clearance.

Moscow said the trucks moved in without Kiev's consent because civilians in areas under siege from Ukrainian government troops were in urgent need of food, water and other supplies.

Kiev called the convoy a direct invasion, a stance echoed by NATO, the United States, and European leaders.

A journalist at the Donetsk-Izvaryne border crossing, where the convoy rolled into Ukraine on Friday, said trucks on Saturday had started pouring back onto the Russian side of the border.

The foreign ministry in Moscow said the convoy had now left Ukraine, though a Ukrainian military spokesman disputed this, saying only 184 of the 220 vehicles had re-entered Russia.

In Brussels, NATO said it had reports of Russian troops engaging Kiev's forces inside Ukraine - fuelling Western allegations that the Kremlin is behind the conflict in an effort undermine the Western-leaning leadership in Kiev.

"Russian artillery support – both cross border and from within Ukraine – is being employed against the Ukrainian armed forces," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

A Ukrainian military spokesman in Kiev, Colonel Andriy Lysenko, said Ukrainian government forces were now coming under cross-border fire from Russia, using Grad and Uragan missiles, over a 400 kms (250 mile) length of the border.

The Russian foreign ministry, in a statement, called those allegations "groundless."

Russia accuses Kiev, with the backing of the West, of waging a war against innocent civilians in eastern Ukraine, a mainly Russian-speaking region.

HOMES DESTROYED 

The crisis over Ukraine started when mass protests in Kiev ousted a president who was close to Moscow, and installed leaders viewed with suspicion by the Kremlin. 

Soon after that, Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, and a separatist rebellion broke out in eastern Ukraine.

In the past weeks, the momentum has shifted towards Ukraine's forces, who have been pushing back the rebels.

The separatists are now encircled in their two strongholds, Luhansk and Donetsk. 

Reporters in Donetsk said that most of the shelling was taking place in the outskirts, but explosions were also audible in the centre of the city.

In Donetsk's Leninsky district, a man who gave his name as Grigory, said he was in the toilet on Saturday morning when he heard the whistling sound of incoming artillery.

"Then it hit. I came out and half the building was gone."

The roof of the building had collapsed into a heap of debris. Grigory said his 27-year-old daughter was taken to hospital with injuries to her head.

He picked up a picture of a baby from the rubble.

"This is my grandson," he said.

In another residential area, about 5 km north of the city centre, a shop and several houses had been hit.

Residents said two men, civilians, were killed.

Praskoviya Grigoreva, 84, pointed to two puddles of blood on the pavement near a bus stop that was destroyed in the same attack.

"He's dead. Death took him on this spot," she said.

Ukraine - Saturday August 23rd 2014

Summary

 

-- German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for all parties involved in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine to agree to a cease-fire during a visit to Kyiv on August 23. Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Merkel said peace was possible if "both sides" engage.

 

-- Hundreds of trucks from a Russian aid convoy that unilaterally entered eastern Ukraine on August 22 have crossed the border back into Russia.

 

-- U.S. President Barack Obama and Merkel have expressed alarm at Russian moves inside Ukraine. According to the White House, Obama and Merkel said the presence of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, the buildup of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, and Russian shelling into Ukraine represent dangerous escalations of tensions by Moscow.

Israel’s new attack submarines nearing completion at German shipyard

Israel’s newest version of its Dolphin-class submarine, which is quieter than the nuclear-powered engines on American and Russian submarines, is nearing completion at Germany’s hyssenKrupp Marine Systems shipyards in Kiel.

 Three Dolphin II-class submarines, which Real Clear Defense called “part attack submarine, part nuclear strike ship and part commando taxi,” are undergoing trials in Germany before heading to the Mediterranean.

 When complete, analysts believe that the Dolphin II-class submarines will carry nuclear-tipped Popeye Turbo cruise missiles, although the Israeli government has not admitted to such claims, Real Clear Defense reported.

Germans look to sink Swedish sub maker

German industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp bought Kockums in 2005 to form part of what is known as ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), a firm which also owns German submarine maker HDW, a direct competitor of Kockums.

A source told The Local that the purchase was aimed at getting rid of Germany’s Swedish submarine rival and that TKMS was jeopardizing Swedish export deals for submarines with the Australian and Singaporean governments.

"The purchase of Kockums wasn't aimed at consolidating the naval industry and creating synergies, but at getting rid of a competitor," a source in Germany with direct knowledge of the situation told The Local.

Kockums and its predecessors have been building ships for the Swedish navy for centuries at the Karlskrona shipyard in southern Sweden that now serves as the base of the company's Swedish operations.

But according to a German naval manufacturing consultant with ties to TKMS, ThyssenKrupp is actively trying to sabotage Kockums export operations to the advantage of Germany’s HDW, a strategy he dubbed "TKMS über alles" and slammed as "suicide".

The Germans' efforts to sink Sweden's submarine industry have been ongoing since at least 2011, according to the source, when TKMS CEO Hans Christoph Atzpodien denied Kockums the opportunity to bid on a project in Singapore for the construction of new submarines, despite the Swedish firm's long-standing relationship in the country.

Earlier this year, the German firm decreed that the Swedish shipbuilder officially change its corporate name to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, scrapping the Kockums brand name that has been a part of Swedish industry since the early 1800s.

'A raging war is taking place'

In August, during a meeting in Bonn, Germany with officials from Singapore defence agency DSTA held, Atzpodien claimed that Kockums "would no longer be capable of designing and building submarines", according to the source.

"A raging war is taking place between Kockums and TKMS," he said, explaining that the Singapore deal has brought the situation into sharp relief.

Among other things, Atzpodien disparaged Kockums plans for a new A26 class of submarine, claiming the Swedish firm didn't have enough engineers to complete the project, and that it was sure to be plagued with cost overruns and delays.

"Atzpodien has systematically ejected Kockums from the discussions and has barred Kockums from Singapore," the source explained.

TKMS has also complicated Kockums' chances for new contracts in Australia, another country where the Swedish shipbuilder has a strong presence, having designed and built six Collins-class submarines in the 1990s in what was one of the largest export deals ever at the time.

But Kockums found itself left out of a 2012 initial call for proposals from Australia to replace the aging subs with an off the shelf solution, while its German-based competitor and sister company HDW was one of three European firms asked to participate.

Earlier this year, however, Australia and Sweden did ink a deal allowing for Kockums to take part in the project, dubbed SEA 1000, which calls for the building of 12 new submarines.

But in the meantime, TKMS purchased an Australian naval defence firm, Australian Marine Technologies, that "could do the same job as Kockums could have done on its own," the source said.

"TKMS has here again torpedoed all the efforts of Kockums to run this future competition because it has already created its own footprint," the source told The Local.

A Swedish saviour?

The Swedish government, as well as officials with the primary defence procurement agency, the Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), has been made aware of the situation and have become so unhappy they have asked Swedish defence contractor Saab to look into a possible purchase of Kockums, a source within the Swedish defence industry told The Local.

"Discussions are taking place right now," according to the source, who agreed that TKMS is trying to strangle Sweden's ship building industry.

"The only reason TKMS owns Kockums is to stop them from exporting," the Swedish source explained, adding that the Swedish firm "could not exist" without export contracts.

Allan Widman, a Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) MP from Malmö and the party's defence policy spokesman said he is "worried" about Kockum's future in light of the rift with TKMS.

"Submarine building capabilities are essential for our armed forces and our ability to defend ourselves," he told The Local, adding that he had heard a number of "industry rumours" about the discord between TKMS and Kockums.

Adding to his concern is the fact that two years have passed since the Swedish parliament Riksdag approved funding for the development of the A26 submarine for the Swedish navy, but nothing has happened, reportedly due to concerns over ThyssenKrupp's ownership of Kockums.

"I hope Kockums isn't prevented from doing business with other countries. It's not constructive," said Widman, adding he would welcome Swedish ownership for the Karlskrona-based shipbuilder.

"I would have no objection to private Swedish ownership of Kockums," he said when asked about the Saab deal.

However, if the Swedish and German firms can't strike a suitable deal to resolve the situation, Widman said the dispute may require a "political solution".

"This is a matter that's vital to our national security," he said, stressing that he hopes both Germany and Sweden can maintain submarine building capacity.

"In the end, however, it may require a political dialogue between Sweden and Germany to find a suitable solution."

When reached by The Local for comment on the Saab-Kockums negotiations, a Saab spokesman refused to comment.

"We don't speculate on rumours like that," the spokesman said.

A spokesperson with FMV also chose not to comment citing an "ongoing procurement".

A spokesman with Kockums in Sweden also refused to comment on the reported disunity within TKMS, while spokeswoman with TKMS in Germany said the company was "unable to comment on market rumours".

6 Sailors Charged with Mutiny in German Naval First

Six German sailors have been charged with mutiny over accusations they tied up their superior onboard a ship, in a first for the German navy, officials said Friday.

The six allegedly pulled the petty officer from his cabin, tied him with tape to a table and wrote “the retards live here” on his lower leg, according to the public prosecutor’s office in the northern town of Rostock.

The alleged incident took place onboard the Hermelin, which was part of the UN mission in south Lebanon, UNIFIL, while the boat was in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in February.

The petty officer is of Thai descent, but there is no indication the incident was racially motivated — the alleged victim had himself apparently used the term “retard” earlier to refer to non-officer crew members.

“They wanted to teach the petty officer a lesson,” the public prosecutor’s spokesman said.

A defense ministry spokesman told reporters that as far as he was aware, it was the first time a charge of mutiny had been brought within the German navy.

They have also been charged with aggravated battery and depriving someone of his personal freedom, according to the prosecutor’s office.

On the mutiny charge alone, they face a jail term of between six months and five years.

The petty officer was not seriously hurt.

Naming ceremony of fuel cell submarine “U36” for the German Navy in Kiel

One of the most modern non-nuclear submarines in the world was named today at the shipyard of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH, a company of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG, under the name of “U36”. This marks another important milestone in the ongoing shipbuilding programme for the German Navy. U36 is the second boat of the second batch of HDW Class 212A submarines destined for operation in the German Navy. The German town of Plauen has assumed sponsorship for U36. The ultra-modern submarine was named by Silke Elsner, companion to the Mayor.

“We at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems are committed as a naval shipyard enterprise characterised by maximum technological competence, geared first and foremost to the production of non-nuclear submarines and high-end naval surface vessels”, says Andreas Burmester, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We will shortly be proud to hand over this newly named submarine to the German Navy as another “masterpiece” of German engineering.”

The contract to deliver a second batch of two HDW Class 212A submarines was signed on 22nd September 2006 in Koblenz with the German Office for Military Technology and Procurement/BWB (now the German Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Employment of the Bundeswehr/BAAINBW). The submarine building activities are taking place at the shipyards of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel and Emder Werft- und Dockbetriebe in Emden.

The two additional units will be largely identical to their sister ships from the first batch. They are also equipped with the HDW air-independent fuel cell propulsion system which has already given excellent results in operations with the boats of the first batch. The German Navy submarine U32 gave renewed proof of this in April 2013. On the way to participate in naval exercises in the USA the boat produced a new record for non-nuclear submarines with 18 days in submerged transit without snorkelling.

To meet changes in operational scenarios and to take constant technological advances into account, a number of modifications have been made in the second batch:
• Integration of a communications system for Network Centric Warfare
• Installation of an integrated Sonar and Command and Weapon Control System
• Installation of a superficial lateral antenna sonar
• Replacement of one periscope by an optronics mast
• Installation of a hoistable mast with towable antenna-bearing buoy to enable communication from the deep submerged submarine
• Integration of a lock system for Special Operation Forces
• Tropicalisation to enable world-wide operations.
The Italian Navy has also decided in favour of a second batch of two HDW Class 212A submarines, which are being built under licence by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. That means that the Italian Navy will soon also have four boats of this class available for operations.
U36 – Technical Data:
General boat data:
Length over all: approx. 57 m
Height including sail: approx. 11.5 m
Maximum hull diameter: approx. 7 m
Displacement: approx. 1,500 t
Crew: 28
Pressure hull built of non-magnetic steel

More German Armor For Arabia

Qatar is following the example of its neighbor Saudi Arabia and buying 62 German Leopard  2A7+ tanks. Saudi Arabia is buying at least 244 Leopard 2A7+ tanks from Germany. Qatar is also buying 24 PZH-2000 155mm howitzers. The deal for the tanks and artillery is worth $2.48 billion and includes spare parts, training and tech support.

 

The PzH (Panzerhaubitze, or armored howitzer) 2000 was built to replace the 1950s era American M-109s in German service. The PzH 2000 is larger (at 56 tons, compared to 28) than the M-109, has a longer range gun and a smaller crew (three compared to four men) and more capabilities and features as well. This enables the PZH 2000 to deliver more accurate fire over longer distance and do it quicker than other artillery.

 

The Leopard 2A7+ is an upgrade of the 2A6 model. That upgrade included more armor on the sides and rear (especially to protect against RPGs), more external cameras (so the crew inside could see anything in any direction, day or night), a remote control machine-gun station on top of the turret, better fire control and combat control computers and displays, more powerful auxiliary power unit and better air conditioning, and numerous other minor improvements. This increased the weight of the tank to nearly 70 tons.

 

The Leopard 2A7+ has added improvements to mobility (engine, track laying system, wheels and related gear), better soundproofing for the crew, more, and better, thermal sights, and more effective ammunition for the 120mm gun (fragmentation shells that detonate above or behind a target).

Until three years ago the 55 ton Leopard 2A6 was the current version, and is a contemporary of the American M-1. The 2A6 model has a stabilizer (for firing on the move) and a thermal imager (for seeing through night, mist and sand storms.) Germany has been selling less capable refurbed 2A4s since the 1990s (after the Cold War ended and the German army was much reduced in size.) This enabled many nations to inexpensively upgrade their aging armored forces. In the last decade, many nations have upgraded their Leopards to the A6 standard. Many nations prefer to continue upgrading their Leopards, mainly because there are no new tanks to buy, thus the appeal of an upgrade to the 2A7+ standard.

 

Saudi Arabia is concerned about Iran, which has a force of 1,500 much older tanks (most of them Russian T-72s and T-54/55s). Saudi Arabia has 1,300 tanks, most of them older American M-60s and French AMX-30s. But the Saudis also have 370 U.S. M-1s and more on the way. The 244 Leopards will increase the Saudi edge. The Saudis also have the money to buy spare parts for their modern tanks, and Western instructors to provide the best training. But the Iranians are better soldiers, so they might have an edge there. 

 

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have a mutual support treaty with each other and other members of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). For more than a decade the GCC has made plans to deal with the Iranian threat. The key here is coordinating the air and naval forces of the GCC members, and close cooperation with foreign (especially American) allies. The GCC weapons are more modern and numerous than what the Iranians have. Add in American, and other foreign forces stationed in the Gulf, and the Iranians are up against a formidable force. While the Iranians have always been better fighters than the Arabs the GCC states have sought to give their troops more training, using Western trainers and techniques. This may not have eliminated the Iranian advantage but it closed the gap.

 

The Gulf Arab states have a long history with Iran and other hostile outsiders. The solution has always been to seek unity and outside allies. In the 19th century, the coastal emirates (city states that depended on trade, pearls, and fishing) allied themselves with Britain, for protection against the Turks (who controlled what is now Iraq), Iran (always a threat to the Arabs), and the interior tribes of Arabia. Britain was interested in suppressing pirates (which often operated out of the emirates) and halting Turkish expansion. In 1971, seven of the emirates formed a federation: the UAE (United Arab Emirates). There were immediate disputes with Saudi Arabia about where the land and water borders should be. Some of those disputes are still unresolved. The Saudis consider themselves the leader of Arabia, but most of the people in Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, and the UAE often disagree. There is lots of friction. Nevertheless, in 1981, the Gulf Cooperation Council was formed by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE was the chief organizer of the council and has constantly quarreled with Saudi Arabia over leadership issues. But when it comes to outside threats, especially the Iranians, there is less quarrelling and a lot more cooperation. It's uncertain if this will be enough to thwart the Iranians. Only an actual war will reveal the reality of the situation.

Israel gets 5th German submarine

Vessel is expected to reach Israel only in 2013; Germany approved sale of sixth submarine, expected to arrive in Israel by 2017

An official ceremony was held in the German city of Kiel Monday to mark the handover of a fifth submarine to Israel's Navy. The ceremony was attended by Defense Ministry Director Udi Shani, Navy Commander Gen. Ram Rotenberg and other Israeli officials, along with their German counterparts.

In May 2011, a special ministerial committee decided to accept the recommendations of Defense Minister Ehud Barak , who promoted its purchase. Israel already operates four Dolphine-class submarines.  

The vessel is due a process of further development overseen by the Defense Ministry in collaboration with the Navy. It is expected to reach Israel within several months and dock at the Haifa Port.

"Rahav" is considered one of the most advanced submarines in the world and is the most expensive war vessel Ministry of Defense has procured for the IDF . The diesel-powered submarines are widely regarded as an Israeli vanguard against foes like Iran.

 

Last year the German government approved the sale of a sixth submarine, which is expected to arrive in Israel by 2017.

Mali: Germany ready to commit troops

Germany is ready to commit troops to a United Nations mission to Mali, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Saturday during a visit to the Ghanaian capital Accra.

Noting that the German parliament would have the last word on the actual deployment, Westerwelle added that the two previous engagements in Mali allowed up to 330 German troops, mainly for logistical help and EU training missions.

The UN Security Council decided Thursday to send a peacekeeping force to Mali to help the government face Islamist rebels in the north and restore stability.

The force, composed of more than 12 000 troops and police, is expected to replace the 6 000-strong African Union-led mission by July. The African forces had been assisting Mali since last year. France is pulling out most of its around 4 000 troops deployed in January.

Westerwelle is in Ghana on the first leg of a five-day Africa tour that will also see him visit South Africa and Mozambique.

German Navy Acquires Six REMUS AUVs

After extensive trials by the German Bundeswehr Technical Center for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71) in Eckernfoerde, the Federal Office of Defence Technology & Procurement (BWB) in Koblenz has placed a contract for six REMUS 100 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) manufactured by Hydroid, Inc. - a Kongsberg Company to enhance the capabilities of the German Navy's mine divers. Delivery of the REMUS 100 systems and operational training of military personnel will occur during the next 12 months.

The easy to handle REMUS 100 AUV is equipped with side-scan sonar and various other oceanographic sensors. It navigates by transponder interrogation and DVL-aided inertial dead reckoning in pre-programmed missions. The recorded data will be used to search for mines, lost objects, debris and wrecks or simply to collect topographic ocean floor mapping for hydrographic and scientific applications.

"We are pleased to be able to collaborate with BWB and Bornhöft Industriegeraete GmbH to introduce REMUS technology into the German Navy to enhance Mine Countermeasure (MCM) operations in Very Shallow Water operations" said Graham Lester, director, Hydroid Europe.

The REMUS 100 is a compact, lightweight AUV designed for operation in underwater environments up to 100 meters deep. The vehicle can be configured with a wide variety of standard and/or customer-specified sensors and system options in order to meet specialized mission requirements.

All of Hydroid's REMUS AUVs are modular: They can be fitted with varying sensors for use in hydrographic surveys, harbor security operations, debris field mapping, scientific sampling and mapping, as well as many basic and applied research programs. With more than 300 vehicles in the field, Kongsberg Maritime is currently the AUV market leader.

Egypt-Germany submarine deal on track despite Israeli objections: Sources

As Tel Aviv regime urges Berlin to halt scheduled delivery of German submarines to Egypt, military experts say Cairo must diversify its sources for weapons purchases

While Cairo said it had succeeded over the past year to offset Israel’s efforts to block delivery of German submarines to Egypt based on a deal signed in November of last year, Egyptian sources close to the deal confirm that the agreement was still on track and that Germany would deliver two 902-Class submarines over Israeli objections.

Germany’s ministers of defence and foreign affairs spoke on the issue last week. The deal was a talking point during a visit by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to Israel after Tel Aviv complained about the deal. Both Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak urged Berlin to freeze the contract out of concern that Egypt’s navy would establish a naval defence platform that could be used against Israel in a future confrontation.

The Israeli politicians reminded Germany of its previous commitment to ensure Israel’s qualitative military superiority and not to export any weapons to states in the region that might threaten Israel’s interests. Germany’s response, which many Israeli newspapers highlighted, was that Germany remained committed to the deal it had signed with Egypt and thus must make the delivery, adding that no one could interfere in German policy regarding such deals.

Egyptian experts agreed that the deal is significant, irrespective of qualitative superiority. Egypt today needs to diversify its weapons sources, according to security expert Major General Sameh Seif El-Yazel, who explained that the 902-Class submarine had fewer capabilities than the Dolphin-Class subs that Israel had received from Germany within the past decade.

Israel reportedly has an agreement with Germany for the new Dolphin-Class submarine, the Tanin, considered the most expensive and efficient sub in the world. According to the agreement, delivery is expected by the end of 2013. Over the past decade, Israel received the same type of submarine from manufacturer HDW, which exclusively manufactures this type of world-renowned submarine.

These submarines can carry Popeye SLCM missiles manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, which carry nuclear warheads weighing up to 200kg manufactured at Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor. The submarine was manufactured in secret in Germany upon Israel’s request with an additional four torpedo tubes for missiles that can hit targets on the ground.

Major General Gamal Mazloum, military expert at the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh, explained that this was not the first time that Israel had tried to block a weapons transfer to Egypt and that Germany was not the only weapons supplier that Tel Aviv had tried to dissuade. Israel had succeeded in stopping dozens of deals with Washington and others in the past, he noted.

Another military expert, Safwat El-Zayyat agreed, adding that Israel had better luck receiving custom-built German subs that could be modified quickly to carry nuclear missiles, have special storage capacity and can run on diesel fuel.

German Defence Minister Thomas de Mesar also rejected Israeli interference in the deal. "No country in the world has the right to veto the decisions of the German government," de Mesar declared, in a clear message to Israel. Although he added that "there is a possibility of Germany supplying," which was not a confirmation of delivery since Cairo has to meet the conditions of the deal. Thus, a commitment by both sides would make the deal a success despite Israel's objections.

Meanwhile, Israel is monitoring developments in Egypt’s navy – and perhaps other branches of the military – according to Mazloum. The problem is that Egypt's development strategies must quickly expand to production, even if it is less than the required efficiency, because it would still be strategically significant, like Iran’s naval industries.

"When there are nearly 200,000 tanks in the Arab region that need routine maintenance and would take us 200 years to keep running using the current mechanism, we will waste a lot of money on deals that Israel will always try interfere with and thwart," he argued. "It does this not on the basis of defence superiority, as it claims, but also to exercise political blackmail to receive grants. It is now blackmailing Germany to receive submarines for free or for little money, or blackmailing Washington for other weapons deals."

Mazloum continued: "Why does Tel Aviv claim that Egypt’s navy is a threat to Israel when it is already qualitatively superior? This is clear blackmail. Our coastline is 30 times longer than Israel, so naturally we should expand our capabilities to cover this size. The job of the naval forces includes protecting more than 2,000km of coastline on the Mediterranean and Red Sea, as well as protecting navigation in the Suez Canal."

Jacky Khoury, an Arab reporter at Israel daily Haaretz, said in exclusive statements that Israel was certainly disturbed by the situation in general because it would change its perception of the strategic and arms balance, since it wants to maintain permanent superiority. Khoury added that, although the issue had received a lot of political attention in Tel Aviv, it had not made headlines in the media, which always focuses on Egyptian matters, such as the domestic scene and developments in Sinai.

According to published weapons reports, Israel is most concerned that, along with the submarine deal, Egypt’s navy has four sophisticated US-made FMC missile boats each weighing 800 tonnes. These boats can travel for long distances and have advanced offensive and defensive capabilities. Egypt also has four Romeo-Class submarines, which are a Sino-Russian prototype that Egypt has modified, adding Harpoon missiles and developed their radar and sonar systems.

Although Egypt’s navy is the smallest of the country’s military branches, it is three time as large as Israel’s – at least in terms of numbers. An expert on Israeli affairs said that that, despite Tel Aviv’s apparent superiority in quality, several Israeli estimates assert that Egypt is strategically far superior. The expert noted that the fate of the deal would ultimately be decided once the final delivery date is announced, since no one can be sure that Berlin will keep its word – especially since Israel is not likely to back down from trying to thwart it.

In the meantime, the deal appears to be being held hostage to political circumstances. Conditions in Egypt today are different; how long will weapons supplies to Egypt remain acceptable to major world powers in light of a civilian regime and a president with an Islamist background? How will the relationship between civilians and the military brass be a decider on armament issues? And how successful will Israel be in exporting its perspective on relations with Egypt to its allies around the world?

'No doubt' Nazi war criminal Heim dead: German court

A handout delivered by German police in 2009 and dated 1959 shows Aribert Heim, a former Austrian doctor, also known as "Dr. Death", who is wanted for killing and torturing hundreds of victims in the concentration camps of Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald and Mauthausen with his horrific medical experiments.

German judicial authorities today officially said for the first time that Nazi war criminal Aribert Heim, known as "Doctor Death", had died in Egypt in 1992 as reported.

A regional court in the southwestern town of Baden-Baden said it was abandoning an investigation because there was "no doubt" the body found in Cairo was that of Heim, who had changed his identity and converted to Islam.

"The criminal case against Dr Aribert Heim on suspicion of multiple murders has been abandoned because of the death of the accused," the court said in a written statement.

Heim, one of the world's most wanted war criminals, became known as "Doctor Death" and the "Butcher of Mauthausen" after performing medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners.

Besides Mauthausen in Austria, he also served at the Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald camps in Germany.

In February 2009, German public television channel ZDF and the New York Times said that Heim, a former member of the Nazi SS, had died of bowel cancer in 1992 at the age of 78, citing his son and acquaintances in Cairo.

But his death was never confirmed and a report by Der Spiegel news weekly several months later said investigators believed the ZDF and NYT report did not provide "any proof of his death" and they were continuing to examine "every lead" on the Austrian-born Nazi.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem also said it did not believe the story.

The Baden-Baden court however said on Friday that it no longer doubted that Heim was in fact a man named Tarek Hussein Farid who died of cancer in August 1992 in Cairo.

The court said it had reached the conclusion after, among other things, the defence for the accused had presented it with documents, including a certificate showing his conversion to Islam.

Together with information provided by his son, there remained "no doubt that the accused is identical to the person Tarek Hussein Farid and died in 1992 after suffering from cancer", it said.

German authorities charged him in 1979 with having "cruelly killed prisoners through injections or unnecessary operations" at the Mauthausen camp in 1941, the court said in its statement.

The court had announced in August that it aimed to establish in the coming months whether Heim was dead after receiving the initial results of the analysis of original documents from Egypt.

In 1945 at the end of World War II Heim was arrested by the US military but he was let go after two and a half years, and he went on to work as a gynaecologist in Baden-Baden.

He pursued his profession in the picturesque spa town for around 15 years but fled in 1962 as the West German authorities were about to arrest him.