Russian Foreign Inteligence Sevice (SVR): No Comment on Iraq Cooperation

SVR DOES NOT WANT COMMENT REPORTS ON ITS COOPERATION WITH BAGHDAD... The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) declined to comment on a report in the London-based "The Sunday Telegraph" on 13 April alleging that documents have been found in Baghdad proving the existence of close ties between the intelligence service of deposed Iraqi President Hussein and Russian intelligence, newsru.com reported on 13 and 14 April. One document allegedly dated 12 March 2002 indicates that the SVR knew about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and urged Baghdad to destroy them in order not to give the United States a pretext to attack. Other documents reportedly included SVR reports of conversations about Iraq between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "We do not comment on unsubstantiated and unfounded statements of the tabloid press," SVR spokesman Boris Labusov said, according to Interfax on 13 April.

...AS EXPERT NOTES SUCH CONTACTS NOT UNIMAGINABLE. An unidentified expert "who is close to the SVR" told Interfax on 13 April that the SVR had contacts with virtually every intelligence service in the world throughout the 1990s as part of its efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime. These contacts were not directed against third countries, the source said. Commenting on the reports concerning the Blair-Berlusconi talks, the source noted that such talks are always held under secure conditions. "So that means that one of the prime ministers is a [Russian] agent," the source quipped.

SVR DENIES SMUGGLING ARCHIVES IN MOTORCADE. Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) spokesman Labusov refuted on 9 April rumors that his agency tried to smuggle the archives of deposed Iraqi President Hussein's secret services out of Iraq in the Russian ambassador's motorcade (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 and 8 April 2003), ORT and RTR reported. Such rumors are complete fiction "and have no basis whatsoever," Labusov said. SVR Colonel Yurii Perfilev, who was a Soviet intelligence resident in the Middle East in the 1980s, said that such statements are interesting, but cannot be verified, TV-Tsentr reported on 9 April. Deputy Duma Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovskii, whose reputed ties to the KGB are frequently mentioned in the media, said he personally spoke with Hussein last year and offered to evacuate the archives, but Hussein responded that "there is no need for this," nns.ru reported on 10 April. Zhirinovskii claimed that part of the archives were destroyed and the rest removed to Syria, Yemen, and Sudan.

PUTIN CHASTISES MILITARY FOR POOR INTELLIGENCE ON IRAQ CAMPAIGN. President Putin has expressed his displeasure over his defense officials' faulty forecasting regarding the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq, "Argumenty i Fakty," No. 15, reported. Putin reportedly was dismayed that military officials predicted the campaign would take three to six months and that the Iraqi military would resist vigorously. The weekly published a prognosis issued by an unidentified military intelligence officer before coalition forces captured Baghdad in which he wrote that coalition loses in taking the city would amount to about 5,000 killed, while as many as half a million Iraqis could lose their lives in the operation.

MILITARY DEFENSE MINISTER CANCELS U.S. TRIP... Sergei Ivanov has canceled a scheduled three-day trip to the United States that was due to begin on 13 April, ITAR-TASS reported on 10 April. Ivanov was to have held talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. An unnamed Defense Ministry spokesman said the visit had been arranged before the beginning of the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq and, now that the military phase of that operation is coming to an end, it is no longer necessary, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 10 April. He also commented that one should not draw hasty conclusions from the cancellation, which came immediately following a visit to Moscow by U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. The newspaper speculated that Rice might have discovered more serious disagreements over Iraq than she expected. The daily also speculated that Moscow might be experiencing doubts about the international antiterrorism coalition. Finally, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" speculated, the cancellation might stem from the Kremlin's displeasure over Washington's public accusations that Russia provided sophisticated military equipment to the regime of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 and 25 March 2003). Other analysts believe that the Kremlin might be playing "good cop, bad cop," with President Vladimir Putin playing the former role and Ivanov the latter in U.S.-Russian relations.

...AND SAYS IRAQ WAR HAS INCREASED DEMAND FOR RUSSIAN ARMS. Speaking upon his arrival in Seoul on 10 April for talks on bilateral military cooperation, Ivanov said the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq has led to a marked increase in global demand for Russian weapons systems, ITAR-TASS and other Russian media reported. U.S. accusations that Russia supplied arms to Iraq have led to increased orders for Russian conventional weapons, Ivanov said. "We can thank the Americans for the free publicity," he added. He also said that the conflict in Iraq has further stimulated the arms race on the Korean Peninsula and that Russia is ready to provide security guarantees to North Korea if it renounces its nuclear-weapons program.

For more info. please consult the following links:

Ex-spy fingers Russians on WMD

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20030820-081256-6822r.htm

The Plot to Hijack the CIA

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1252938/posts

Russia’s Aims in the Middle East

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1260794/posts

Well, which is it ladies an gents?

US troops secured and destroyed much of the Al ca-ca caca
or Russians clandestinely removed the Al ca-ca caca
to Syria? Or is it a little of both?

Either way, sKerry loozes on this point.

MV

To bad this stuff never gets any attention :(

Where is CNN, ABC, CBS, KERRY???!!! Nothing will be said, there is no political gain for anyone to speak up.

There is no doubt that "Someone" was supplying stuff to the Iraqis. This is a fact. Who is a question. GPS jammers, thermal sights for T72s retrofitted on Iraqi tanks and a few other gadgets were 100% guaranteed NOT made in Iraq.

To bad that the real issues are blanketed with stories of Abu Garhib, missing explosives and other almost superfluous issues, while important stuff like this goes almost unnoticed and gets no attention or interest devoted to it by the public.

Red6

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