[Prince Charles]

I found this tidbit in a related article.

Combined with the Telegraph's headline story last night, Putin will be barfing borscht today.

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[anniegetyourgun]

Do I feel a cold war blowing through the room?

[Arkie2]

The Russians have a lot to hide in Iraq so they made a deal with the devil to try and keep it hidden. All will come out in time anyway but the Russians have clearly signaled where they stand with regards to the US.

[Zipporah]

Seems the iron hammer and sickle aren't a thing of the past..

[toddst]

Saddam is dead, dead, dead. All this is so much fantasy. They may have smuggled someone out plus files but Saddam wasn't in the group. Count on it.

[mhking]

Since this isn't covered by the WP/LAT exclusion, here's the whole article as posted by SkyNews:

SECRETS: RUSSIA AND IRAQ
Russia provided Saddam Hussein's regime with wide-ranging intelligence in the run-up to the war against Iraq, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

The paper has cited what it says were secret files found in Baghdad.

The documents showed that Moscow provided Baghdad with lists of assassins available for "hits" in the West, details of arms deals with neighbouring countries, and intelligence on private conversations between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other Western leaders, the Telegraph said.

Iraq and Russia also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to "obtain" visas for agents, and to exchange information on the activities of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the newspaper reported.

Intelligence

The documents, which revealed the extent of links between Russia and Saddam, were obtained from the heavily bombed headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad on Saturday.

The files, in Arabic, were mostly intelligence reports from anonymous agents and from the Iraqi embassy in Moscow.

The Telegraph said that in one report dated March 5, 2002, an Iraqi intelligence official explained that a Russian colleague had passed him details of a private conversation between Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at a meeting in Rome.

The document said that Blair "referred to the negative things decided by the United States over Baghdad".

It added that Blair refused to engage in any military action in Iraq at that time because nothing could be done until after a new government had been set up in Afghanistan.

'Devastating'

The Telegraph said it was not known how the Russians obtained such sensitive information, but the revelation that Moscow passed it on to Baghdad was likely to have a "devastating" effect on relations between Britain and Russia.

One paper dated November 27, 2000 from an Iraqi agent reportedly said that the Russians had passed him a detailed list of assassins.

In another document, dated March 12, 2002, the Russians apparently warned Baghdad that if it refused to comply with the United Nations then that would give the United States "a cause to destroy any nuclear weapons".

Correspondence, dated January 27, 2000, informed Baghdad that in 1999 Syria bought rockets from Russia in two separate batches.

Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday reported that "Russian sources" had said that Saddam had been smuggled out of Baghdad in a convoy to Syria led by the Russian ambassador and bombed unsuccessfully by the US last Sunday.

Quoting "senior military sources", the tabloid also reported that Moscow envoys held a series of meetings with Saddam before war broke out on March 20 in which the Iraqi president tried to arrange safe passage for himself, his family and for secret files out of Iraq.
Last Updated: 04:53 UK, Sunday April 13, 2003

[Textide]

I'd like to believe this, but wonder what Russia would have to gain by smuggling a two-bit dictator back to Russia. Sure, they're not to be trusted, but I don't think they're stupid.

[marvlus]

I now am wondering if the Russians have ever changed since the fall of the USSR.

[Cicero]

On the face of it, this seems pretty unbelievable. What would the Russians have to gain by smuggling Saddam out and seriously offending the United States? Saddam will never again be politically useful. At most they could squeeze a few billion dollars out of his Swiss bank accounts, but would that be worth destroying their relationship with us?

Plus, I can't think of a surer way to guarantee the destruction of the Syrian regime. Does Russia want that?

[TomB]

Saddam Smuggled out of Baghdad with Russian Help

Hopefully that means his remains were wrapped in a condom and jammed up some Russain alcoholic's ass.