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| Iraq |
| Russia spied on Blair for Saddam |
| 2003-04-12 |
| 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. |
| Posted by:OldSpook |
| #8 This probably WAS leaked on purpose, which means it probably was already used. Don't hold your breath till governemnts fall, but rather look for the AoW (incl. Russia - Don't you think Putin LOOKS like a cartoon weasel?) to start changing positions. This stuff is most valuable for diplomatic pressure - i.e. blackmail. In fact, it might be the reason Putin contradicted his own Parliment on the subject of debt forgiveness. Once more the adage proven, 'We'd rather be lucky than good.' |
| Posted by: Scott 2003-04-12 23:13:51 |
| #7 "...Russia kept Iraq informed about its arms deals with other countries in the Middle East. Correspondence, dated January 27, 2000, informed Baghdad that in 1999 Syria bought rockets from Russia in two separate batches valued at $65 million (£41 million) and $73 million (£46 million). It also says that Egypt bought surface-to-air missiles from Russia and that Kuwait - Saddam's old enemy - wanted to buy Russian arms to the value of $1 billion." This part is going to hurt them too. Who's going to buy their inferior arms in the future, knowing they were squealing everything to god knows who? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-12 22:20:35 |
| #6 More from the SF Chron (via a Command Post commenter) here. |
| Posted by: someone 2003-04-12 20:49:19 |
| #5 Maybe Putin already told Chirac some of the dirt and threatened to release it (which would have caused him to be removed). This would explain why Chriac appeared to be the head Toad, saving the Russians from having to visibly front this mess they clearly wanted to try to direct against the US. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-12 20:32:53 |
| #4 Given that the article is from the Telegraph, a publication with sophisticated experts on military and diplomatic affairs like John Keegan, it is most likely true. The actions described are not mere evidence of duplicity, but acts of war agains the US, UK and their allies: nothing less than reactivation of the Comintern by Putin, the former KBG thug. The article states that British intelligence had been warning Tony Blair of increased Russian espionage. Rumors of a French agreement with Saddam involving protection from Islamofacist terror in exchange for diplomatic and military assistance have circulated on the Net. This may well only be a foretaste of disclosures from the files of Baghdad that will trigger a earthquake in global affairs: the fall of govenments, collapse of alliances and fundamental realignment of the major powers. For example, how would disclosure of an alliance of the new Comintern, Germany and France be viewed in the capitals of Eastern Europe with it's memories of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact of 1939. |
| Posted by: George H. Beckwith 2003-04-12 20:24:39 |
| #3 The fact that we're letting this out seems to indicate the Coalition(tm) is playing hardball. Buh-bye, weasels. |
| Posted by: someone 2003-04-12 20:18:22 |
| #2 That is a nasty bomb to drop while the Axis is meeting in St Petersburg. Now Chirac will have to worry what Putin has on him. |
| Posted by: john 2003-04-12 19:45:53 |
| #1 Lukoil? Forget it - you're screwed now. Same goes with Putin. This may finally break Bush and Blairs trust in him. If these documents are genuine, then it proves Putin is a duplicitous bastard. At least now we know why he sided so hard with the froggies - his hand was in the cookie jar too. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-12 19:20:10 |