U.S. helped Qatar link Russians to killing [of terrorist]

seattletimes ^ | Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. | Vladimir Isachenkov

[Destro]

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

U.S. helped Qatar link Russians to killing

By Vladimir Isachenkov

The Associated Press

MOSCOW — The United States assisted Qatar's special services in the investigation that led to two Russian secret agents being charged with killing a Chechen separatist leader, a top U.S. diplomat said in an interview published yesterday.

The United Nations considered Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev a terrorist. Helping find his killers could roil relations with a U.S. ally in the war on terror.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer, who was in Moscow for talks with Russian officials, told the daily Vremya Novostei newspaper that the United States provided "very insignificant technical assistance" to the Qataris.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman said the United States sent a small team of explosives experts to Doha, the Qatari capital, at Qatar's request.

"We send many such teams in response to requests from governments," the embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The experts played no role in the arrest or investigation of any suspects."

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher declined to comment.

Three Russian intelligence agents were arrested in Doha in February after the killing of Yandarbiyev, the former separatist president of Chechnya. Yandarbiyev died Feb. 13 when a bomb went off in his car.

One of the agents, whom Moscow calls "embassy employees," has been released, but the two others remain in custody. The Russian Foreign Ministry has denied that the intelligence agents had anything to do with Yandarbiyev's killing and has demanded their release.

Moscow warned that a refusal to free the Russian agents would badly hurt relations with the Persian Gulf nation.

Yandarbiyev had lived in Qatar since 2000, and Moscow had sought his extradition on charges of terrorism and links to al-Qaida. President Vladimir Putin claimed last fall that U.S. representatives had met with Yandarbiyev.

Pifer denied that claim in the interview published yesterday, saying that U.S. officials had no contacts with Yandarbiyev last year.

The United Nations put Yandarbiyev last year on a list of people with alleged links to al-Qaida. The United States also put him on a list of international terrorists subject to financial sanctions.

[Destro]

No wonder the Israelis don't trust America. I don't trust my own pro Arabist State Dept. - I don't care who the president is.

[Destro]

Maybe there is a good reason Putin needs to keep practicing....

[Destro]

check this out - Sharon was right not to tell America a damn thing for killing that Hammas scumbag. The State Dept would have tipped off the terrorists.

[91B]

Qatar has been a useful ally in our efforts in both Afghanistan and Iraq (I am stationed here currently and was here when the assassination took place). Considering that Russia was not very helpful with our efforts in Iraq and Qatar has stood by us throughout, why should we not help the Qataris now?

From the reports I saw posted here yesterday, it looks to me like the Ruskies are planning a swap and both sides are just trying to save face after the death of the Emir's "guest". Neither side has cut off diplomatic relations with the other after the incident.

[Destro]

So because Qatar helped in Iraq - an al-Qaeda operative is allowed a free pass in Qatar? We did we not kill him? Pal, something stinks and the Iraq explanations can't hide all the stench anymore.

[Destro]

PS: The thought has crossed my mind that they Americans did what they did because they don't want a deadly Russian cell active in their theater of operations, but that is just me making a well educated excuse.

[witnesstothefall]

"The experts played no role in the arrest or investigation of any suspects."

Just as I suspected, and posted, yesterday. The US "involvement" was innocuous at best. AP predictably is recycling a dubious Russian report that has a sensationalist headline and premise but delivers no goods.

It's usually safe to believe the opposite of whatever appears in any Russian publication......

[91B]

The fact remains that the Russians actively opposed our efforts in Iraq while the Qataris provided us with valuable assistance, an unpopular position in the Arab world-so I don't think there is much question as to who deserves our support.

The former Chechen PM was doubtlessly watched at all times and I wonder if we weren't gaining valuable intelligence from his comings and goings. It's obvious to me why the Russians would want him dead, it's less obvious to me why we would want him so. They are fighting their War on Terrorism and we are fighting ours. When our goals coinicide, so much the better, but that is not always going to be the case.

[USMMA_83]

So your "terrorist" trumps their "terrorist"? You must come back home, there is a warm seat available for you at our State Department. I would in a perfect world like out state department to state that "All terrorists, everywhere are fair targets. It does not matter that Russians, or Israelies, or Indians, or whoever kills them and how."

[91B]

Yeah, well, too bad that we don't live in a "perfect world". In an imperfect world our interests trump their interests and I haven't seen any evidence that refusing to assist the Qataris-who have helped us-would be in our interest in favor of the Russians-who haven't helped us. An understanding of realpolitik is part of what separates conservatives from mushy headed liberal idealists.

[A. Pole]

Considering that Russia was not very helpful with our efforts in Iraq and Qatar has stood by us throughout, why should we not help the Qataris now?

Yeah, let us continue to help the brave freedom fighters from KLA, Taleban and Chechnya. So long as they fight evil Russian and Serbs who do not want to fight Iraq - the homeland of 9/11 bombers.

[A. Pole]

So because Qatar helped in Iraq - an al-Qaeda operative is allowed a free pass in Qatar?

Logically it would mean that invading Iraq had different reasons than fighting terrorism.

[Poohbah]

1. Dead men tell no tales. Live men get visitors who can be watched--unless some stupid pizhda kills the guy they're visiting, whereupon they go into hiding.

2. Russia has not been of any real assistance in the war on terror; Qatar has. We can choose to support our friends, or we can choose to not support our friends. Russia can choose to be a friend, or to not be a friend.

3. This operation was marked by rank amateurism. Here's a friendly hint: try not to be in the country when the car bomb you planted goes off.

[91B]

Once again Qatar is our friend, our consistent and reliable friend and I see no reason for to not help them. If we can help the Ruskies with their fight fine, but our interests trump theirs.

Call our your wolf pack if you like, but you haven't said a damn thing to contradict my reasoning here.

[91B]

...I see no reason for us to not help them...

Minor correction.

[A. Pole]

Once again Qatar is our friend, our consistent and reliable friend and I see no reason for to not help them. If we can help the Ruskies with their fight fine, but our interests trump theirs.

Are you saying that helping terrorists in Chechnya is good?

[Poohbah]

Once again Qatar is our friend, our consistent and reliable friend and I see no reason for to not help them. If we can help the Ruskies with their fight fine, but our interests trump theirs.

Are you saying that helping terrorists in Chechnya is good?

Do you support making English the official language of the United States?

[91B]

I am saying that helping the Qataris is good. Last year the Qatari Foreign Minister offered Saddam the opportunity to leave Iraq and come and live in Qatar in order to avoid war. That they did that does not imply that the Qataris were pro-Saddam, merely that they were doing what they could to remove him from power bloodlessly. Likewise, I cannot be sure that they did not have a similar agreement with Yandarbiyev who I am quite certain was not a good guy. I am sure that we were party to the Qataris offer to Saddam, who knows what machinations were behind bringing Yandarbiyev to Doha. Russia and Qatar have not broken off diplomatic relations over the assassination, so it seems to me that both sides are simply doing what they can to save face after the fact. Soon the bungling Ruskie bombers will be sent home in exchange for a couple of Qatari wrestlers who were picked up in Russia the other day (what a coincidence that they were visiting when they could be arrested and so exchanged).

Doubtlessly, the Emir's government had its own reasons for supporting us in our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq (though I doubt that either decision was a slam dunk)-just as the Russians had their own reasons for opposing us. The point is that they did support us, and we are in their debt for doing so. If we have to take sides in this issue, I don't have any qualms about the side that we took.

[91B]

Do you support making English the official language of the United States?

Well, not internet English :-)

[A. Pole]

Are you saying that helping terrorists in Chechnya is good?

Do you support making English the official language of the United States?

Yes.