War IS the health of the State. UAE, India, China among top arms purchasers: Report IANS [ SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2002 12:19:58 WASHINGTON: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked first among developing nations importing arms during 1998-2001, with its purchases totalling $10.8 billion, while India was second with $7.2 billion and China third with $6.7 billion.A new report released by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) that gave these figures, however, says global arms sales to developing nations in 2001 fell by approximately 43 per cent to $15.9 billion compared with $28 billion in 2000."Despite global changes since the Cold War's end, the developing world continues to be the primary focus of foreign arms sales activity by conventional weapons suppliers," it says. "Most recently," the report recalls, "many developing nations have curtailed their expenditures on weaponry primarily due to their limited financial resources" and "the tenuous state of the global economy."It says the decline in conventional weapons sales to developing countries in 2001 was the first since 1997. Sales in 1999 were $25.2 billion, in 1998 $18.3 billion, and in 1997 $19.4 billion. "To meet their military requirements, in current circumstances, a number of developing nations have placed a greater emphasis on upgrading existing weapons systems while deferring the purchases of new and costlier ones," according to the CRS report."These countries have also, in several instances, chosen to focus on the absorption of major items previously obtained." The US-led arms sales to developing countries in 2001, making agreements worth approximately $6.9 billion, down from $12.9 billion in 2000, followed by Russia with $5.7 billion, down from $8.3 billion, France with $400 million, down from $2.1 billion, and China with $600 million, down from $624 million."Many weapons exporting nations have continued to focus their sales efforts on nations and regions where they have distinct competitive advantages due to longstanding political and military relationships with prospective buyers," the CRS report says."Within Europe, the potential exists for a series of new arms sales to nations that were formerly part of the Warsaw Pact and are now members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), or have membership in prospect." The report also notes that new arms sales are most likely to occur in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America over the next few years. "A significant factor will be the health of the international economy," it says. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19350073