Documents link Russia to Saddam

The Scotsman ^ | April 18, 2003 | CHRIS STEPHEN

[MadIvan]

Putin has some explaining to do.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[EaglesUpForever]

And the one thing Russia does not need, as it squares up to the United States, is more embarrassing revelations.

The world needs these embarrassing revelations, as they will show all that the USA was justified. God Bless George Bush.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Is this the confirmation that we've been looking for in the last few weeks - referring to the story about the Russians spying for the Iraqis?

Interesting.

[backhoe]

Locator ^

[MadIvan]

Apparently the confirmation is still in process - but it seems more likely.

Regards, Ivan

[Grampa Dave]

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We may never see much more of the iceberg.

However, the iceberg will be used as super weapon behind closed doors by SOS Powell to get agreements from the KGB/Russian Magia Vlad.

The iceberg will be used like the Clintoons used the FBI files to silence and cower their opposition.

I predict that we will see massive behavioral changes with the French, Russians, ChiComs and the Yo Kim Chia Head from N. Korea. There are many aspects to stun and awe that they are finding out about behind closed doors.

These behavorial changes will help to bring about regime changes in Syria and Iran.

[Cathryn Crawford]

When I posted something about a week or so ago about it, the consensus seemed to be - wait and see.

I guess we did.

It's not really all that surprising to people, is it? I mean, isn't it even a bit expected?

[MadIvan]

The Russian government is still full of ex-Soviet operatives who were bound to feel more loyal to Iraq, a client that bought Soviet military equipment and had a leader who admired Stalin, than to the Western alliance.

So it is unsurprising. It is also, however, disappointing.

Regards, Ivan

[PhiKapMom]

Looks like the facts on Russian involvement with the Iraqi's is coming out more and more! Figured the way Putin was acting before we went into Iraq that we were going to find plenty of Russian involvement with the Iraqi's most of is under the table!

[Cathryn Crawford]

Not surprising at all. I'm more surprised that people here are so surprised about it happening than I am that it happened at all.

But, as you say, disappointing. Putin won't be riding around the ranch with his good buddy George W. anymore.

I never liked him being a few miles down the road from me, anyway.

[11B3]

From the current issue of Geostrategy Direct.com:

Putin rejected his own optimistic intelligence on Iraq, urged Saddam to leave

MOSCOW — Russia is beginning to review its intelligence estimates leading up to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. So far, the leadership in Moscow doesn't like what it sees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been critical of the assessments given him by both the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. He was quoted as saying that Russian intelligence was wrong about the combat capability of Saddam Hussein's military and the determination of the United States.

Putin dispatched former Yevgeni Primakov, a former chief of foreign intelligence, to extend the exile offer. Primakov later said Saddam dismissed the option, saying the Soviet Union had failed to honor its promises to help him in the 1991 Gulf war. "He then slapped me on the back and walked out."

---

Some of these assessments appear ridiculous less than one month after the start of the war. For instance, Putin was told that the U.S. military campaign against Iraq would take between three and six months, officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry assessed that Saddam's Republican Guards would wage a vigorous defense of Baghdad and the surrounding region. One Russian intelligence report said the United States would sustain up to 5,000 casualties in the battle for Baghdad.

The Foreign Ministry predicted heavy diplomatic pressure on the United States from NATO allies to stop the war before the assault on Baghdad. One assessment said British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be forced to withdraw his forces amid rising casualties.

Putin, a former KGB official, was skeptical of the predictions that the United States would be blocked at the gates of Baghdad, officials said. As a result, he sent Saddam a message urging him to leave Baghdad in exchange for safe haven for him and his family.

On Feb. 22, Putin dispatched former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov, a fluent Arabic speaker, to meet Saddam in Baghdad. Primakov, a former chief of Russian foreign intelligence, relayed the Russian offer to Saddam in a one-on-one meeting and later in front of his aides.

Primakov said in an interview with Russian television that Saddam dismissed the offer of exile. The former Iraqi president said the Soviet Union failed to honor its promises to help him in the 1991 Gulf war. "He then slapped me on the back and walked out," Primakov recalled.

Officials said Putin is determined to maintain a Russian presence in Iraq. He has ordered the Russian embassy in Baghdad to remain open in Moscow despite U.S. requests that all foreign embassies in the Iraqi capital shut down.

Officials said Moscow believes U.S. forces targeted a Russian embassy convoy on April 6 outside Baghdad. They said the convoy included cars with embassy plates and that some of the cars displayed Russian signs and flags.

The United States might have targeted the convoy believing it carried archives of the Saddam regime. The Moscow-based Nezavisimaya Gazeta said a CIA force tried to stop the Russian vehicles and seize the archives. But an Iraqi force that accompanied the Russian convoy opened fire on the U.S. commandos.

"Moscow will seek compensation for material losses and damages in accordance with international law," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said.

[MadIvan]

But, as you say, disappointing. Putin won't be riding around the ranch with his good buddy George W. anymore.

I used to worry whenever Putin met with Clinton, because I had the feeling that Putin was outfoxing Clinton every time, and walking away from the table with more for Russia than America got for itself.

With President Bush, he may miscalculate, but he will only miscalculate once and adjust.

Regards, Ivan

[EaglesUpForever]

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We may never see much more of the iceberg.

Amen. We will never know the extent of both official and unofficial relationships.

What made me certain there was collaboration and sanction violation was the "coverage" of the war by Iraqwar.ru. Those reports were by Russian ex-military, and were incredibly anti-US and extremely proud of Russian cooperation with Iraq.

I hope the press stays on this story and covers it extremely well. I also hope that any french violations come to light, though the french support for Iraq's nuclear program, their oil deals with Iraq, and chiraq's infantile behavior at the UN already shows france to be unworthy of continued presence on the Security Council, to the extent the UN continues at all.

[Cathryn Crawford]

True.

The sign of a smart man is not that he never makes mistakes, but that when he does, he learns from them.

Bush is a smart man.

[11B3]

The United States might have targeted the convoy believing it carried archives of the Saddam regime. The Moscow-based Nezavisimaya Gazeta said a CIA force tried to stop the Russian vehicles and seize the archives. But an Iraqi force that accompanied the Russian convoy opened fire on the U.S. commandos.

How much more evidence do we need of Iraq and the Russians actively working together? Here's a Russian press admission that

1.)The Russians do indeed have the secret service files of Iraq.
2.)That Iraqi forces were escorting this convoy.
3.)That CIA forces attempted to stop the convoy and were fired upon by the Iraqis on the orders of the Russians.

Like I said, how much more do we need?

[Grampa Dave]

Both the French and Germans were totally in bed with this sick and evil regime of Soddomite's.

Hopefully the good media can find enough gems to keep everyone aware of how treacherous and dangerous these two counrties are to America and Americans.

Then the administration can just bang the hell of them behind closed doors for the next 6 years.

[Cindy]

re RUSSIA and associates...

LINKS OF INTEREST:

ALERT...INA TODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS by Toby Westerman -- TODAY: "ISRAEL PRESSURING U.S. TO TAKE AIM AT SYRIA?" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Among the weapons Syria supplies to Hezbollah is a missile with a range of between thirty and forty-two miles, putting Hezbollah guerrillas within firing range of Israeli villages. "It has gone too far," proclaimed the security official cited by Le Figaro. Syria's conventional forces are not impressive, with military equipment dating from the Soviet-era. The Syrian economy cannot bear the cost of modernization. Chemical and biological weapons are relatively inexpensive, however, and Syria is known to have worked on their development for many years, including the nerve agents Sarin and perhaps VX. Syria, in cooperation with North Korea, is working on the production of an improved Scud missile with a range of nearly 450 miles. Syria has never signed any international agreements limiting the spread and production of chemical and biological weapons, and refuses to supply the International Atomic Energy Agency with details on its nuclear activities. As with Iraq, Russia is Syria's most important supporter, with close relations between Moscow and Damascus going back to the Soviet era.") (April 16, 2003) (Read More...)

FOX NEWS.com (NY POST.com): "BAGHDAD SHOCKER BARES RUSSIA-SADDAM SPY TIE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Top-secret Iraqi intelligence documents found in Baghdad show that Russia funneled spy secrets to Saddam Hussein and that Moscow was still training Iraqi spies last fall, in violation of U.N. sanctions, reports say. The captured documents also show that the Kremlin gave Saddam lists of assassins who could do "hits" in the West and that Iraq and Russia signed deals to share intelligence and help get "visas" so agents could go to Western countries, the London Telegraph reported.") (April 14, 2003) (Read More...)

TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "REVEALED: RUSSIA SPIED ON BLAIR FOR SADDAM" by David Harrison (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Top secret documents obtained by The Telegraph in Baghdad show that Russia provided Saddam Hussein's regime with wide-ranging assistance in the months leading up to the war, including intelligence on private conversations between Tony Blair and other Western leaders. Moscow also provided Saddam with lists of assassins available for "hits" in the West and details of arms deals to neighbouring countries. The two countries also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to "obtain" visas for agents to go to other countries and to exchange information on the activities of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa'eda leader. The documents detailing the extent of the links between Russia and Saddam were obtained from the heavily bombed headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad yesterday.") (April 13, 2003) (Read More...)

INA TODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS -- TODAY by Toby Westerman: "MOSCOW: U.S. SEEKS DOMINATION NOT LIBERATION Conference to Undermine U.S.?" (April 10, 2003) (Read More...)

ALERT...An Informative Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a ROSBALT NEWS.com article: "RUSSIAN MUSLIMS DECLARE JIHAD ON U.S." (April 3, 2003) (Read More...)

INA TODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS -- TODAY: "RUSSIA IN IRAQ -- THE HIDDEN PRESENCE" -Analysis by Toby Westerman (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "More than 3,000 Muslim congregations with a combined membership of 20 million believers belong to the Central Islamic Leadership. The chairman of the organization, Grand Mufti Talgat Tadschuddin, is urging his followers to use their money to buy weapons and supplies for use against the U.S. and in support of Iraq, according to a report in the German newsmagazine, Der Spiegel. Although the Russian Federation is currently fighting against Islamic militants within its borders, Moscow has close relations with "established" Muslim organizations throughout Russia.") (April 4, 2003) (Read More...)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com (AFP): "STALINIST STATE TO BUY MISSILES FROM RUSSIA" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "TOKYO (Agence France-Presse) -- North Korea, locked in a nuclear standoff with the United States, plans to import leading-edge Russian missile and rocket systems via Syria to upgrade its ballistic missiles, a newspaper reported yesterday. The Stalinist state is expected to use the hardware, including the high-tech tactical missile Iskandar-E and the multiple-launch rocket system Smerch, to upgrade the guidance system and other functions of its long-range missiles, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun said. North Korea and Syria have a secret deal on the trade, possibly based on an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation, the conservative daily quoted military sources as saying. The science and technology accord was signed when North Korea's No. 2 official, Kim Yong-nam, the head of the Supreme People's Assembly, visited Syria in July last year.") (April 4, 2003) (Read More...)

[Grampa Dave]

How many of us feel that if Saddam was wounded after that first night, that he went to the Russian Embassy for medical care and safety?

Were those hard fighters that our embedded reports not allowed to talk about, the Russian military advisors?

Anyone still trust the Russians after this?

[11B3]

I said that night that Saddam was probably at the Russian embassy. That was the only safe place for him at the time. I'm still not too sure that he isn't alive, and in the care of the Russians.