By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Global arms sales in 2000 rose 8.47 percent to $36,862 million, marking the third consecutive yearly increase, according to a U.S. government report.

"Developing nations continue to be the primary focus of foreign arms sales activity by weapons suppliers," a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says. "This total, however, is substantially lower in constant dollars than that of 1993, during the period of post-Persian Gulf war rearmament."

Arms sales in 2000 to developing nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East amounted to $25,438 million, the highest since 1994, according to the CRS report made available August 20.

The United States sold more than half the worldwide total of conventional arms in 2000 -- $18,562 million worth -- followed by Russia at $7,700 million, France at $4,100 million, Germany at $1,100 million, the United Kingdom at $600 million, China at $400 million and Italy at $100 million, the report said.

Taken together, sales from the United States, Russia and France amounted to $30,362 million, or 82.4 percent of all international arms transfer agreements made by all suppliers, the CRS report said.

The report, "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1993-2000," published by the Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library of Congress, is regarded as one of the most authoritative public resources on international weapons sales. Richard Grimmett, a specialist in national defense at CRS, wrote it.

The figures on sales of conventional arms -- reflecting legitimate transfers to national governments -- are based on unclassified background data from U.S. government sources. This report does not account for the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons.

Conventional arms categories in the CRS report include: tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers and armored cars, major and minor naval surface ships, submarines, guided missile patrol boats, supersonic combat aircraft, subsonic combat aircraft, other types of conventional aircraft, helicopters, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, and anti-ship missiles.

While the United States has been the overall leading arms seller to developing nations, Russia has sold arms mainly to two clients -- China and India. Russian sales to nations elsewhere in the developing world have not expanded notably, the report said.

The United States, in addition to major arms sales items, provides a variety of spare parts, ammunition, ordnance, and training and support services.

"France has been a consistent competitor for the lead in arms transfer agreements with developing nations, ranking first in 1994 and 1997, and second in 1993 and 1998," the report said. "Russia ranked first in 1995, and second in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000."

The CRS report noted that Russia now "actively seeks to sell weapons as a means of obtaining hard currency." Russia has also had to agree to licensed production of major weapons systems as a condition of sales with India and China in recent years, it said.

China, which buys weapons mostly from Russia, has averaged less than $1,000 million in annual weapons sales, with much of that total going to Pakistan, the report said.

The report notes that new and very costly weapons purchases from among developing nations are likely to be sporadic in the near term. "The overall level of the arms trade with developing nations is likely to remain generally static for the foreseeable future, despite some notable purchases made in the last two years," the report said.

The United Arab Emirates led all buyers in the developing world in 2000 with arms purchases of $7,400 million -- a total that includes 80 F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft worth $6,432 million from the United States. India was second with $4,800 million in purchases, which included T-90 tanks and SU-30 fighter-bombers from Russia; South Korea was third with $2,300 million, and China was fourth with $2,100 million.