Posted on 07/16/2007 8:05:03 AM PDT by UKrepublican
UK expels four Russian diplomats
The UK is to expel four diplomats from the Russian embassy in London after Moscow refused to extradite the suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. Foreign Secretary David Miliband also said co-operation with Russia on a range of issues was under review.
Prosecutors want Andrei Lugovoi, an ex-KGB officer, to face trial in the UK. He denies involvement.
Former KGB agent Mr Litvinenko died of exposure to radioactive polonium-210 in London in November 2006.
The Foreign Office has not named the four Russian diplomats, but the BBC understands they are intelligence officers.
Mr Miliband told MPs Russia was an important ally and the situation was one that Britain had "not sought and does not welcome".
'Extremely disappointing'
But he said it was necessary to send a "clear and proportionate signal" to Russia, about the seriousness with which Britain regarded the matter.
"Visa facilitation negotiations" have also been suspended, he said.
Under the Council of Europe European Convention on Extradition 1957, the Russians have the right to refuse the extradition of a citizen.
But Mr Miliband said the refusal had been "extremely disappointing" and both the UN and EU had reported concerns that Russia was applying the law selectively.
The Convention gives the UK the right to request that the investigation be taken on by the Russian authorities.
However, Sir Ken Macdonald, the UK's director of public prosecutions, rejected an offer from Moscow to try Mr Lugovoi in Russia.
I for one am glad to see the UK taking a hard line with Russia. Putin needs to be put in his place... He’s starting to show his true colors more and more everyday, and this incident is just one example.
I’m glad their doing so as the world needs to be aware of Putin’s attempt to resurrect the Soviet Union.
Let’s hope the UK stands behind and follows up on this action.
ping
So did Putin make ex-KGB agent glow in the dark after raising issues about Anna?
Remember how those computers blew out in the space shuttle? Blew out just as America arrive, coininkydentally.
I believe Russia was spying big time somewhere where it hadn’t shoulda been. I even recall Russia accusing America of blowing up their computers.
Which, heh, I believe America did.
Bad country, Russia, with those nukes and mob government.
http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2007/42/00.html
'Nord-Ost': unpublished details about the terror act
By Vyacheslav Izmailov
07.06.2007
(SNIP) (Full translation: here)
Apti Batalov - a phone call from London
Saturday evening of October 7th, 2006, was one of the worst days for us at 'Novaya Gazeta': Anna Politkovskaya was murdered. Working at the editorial offices were members of the prosecutor's office and special operations officers, when the telephone rang. It was a late night call from London, from Apti Batalov, formerly a Chechen field commander from 1994-1996, later the head of the Ichkerian security service for several months in 1997. From 1997 to 1999 he was he head of President Aslan Maskhadov's security apparatus.
"I would like to make the following declaration," Apti said. "Several years ago I met with Anna in London and gave her documents about how the terror act in Moscow in October of 2002 was prepared. About a month ago she was supposed to receive a cassette with video materials on how the seizure of hostages at the theater was made ready. Investigate the Politkovskaya case and pay attention to this."
A little while after this call, Batalov sent us the text of those materials that he had mentioned were given in the summer of 2003 to Politkovskaya.
Batalov testifies that his friend and comrade in arms from the first Chechen campaign, Lema Dagalayev, was recruited with the assistance of Khanpash Terkibayev by an FSB colonel named Arkady (or Igor) Dranets*. Dagalayev certified his testimony in March of 2002 on a videocassette (in the presence of Batalov), where he discussed a campaign in Moscow, planned with the active participation of Terkibayev and himself. The campaign's goal was the seizure of one of the government departments. Dagalayev also showed his FSB special pass. A few days after this video recording, Dagalayev died in an automobile crash.
Batalov was questioned about his contacts with Dagalayev at the Naursky regional FSB headquarters in Chechnya. On March 23rd Apti Batalov sought refuge in England, and as a precaution he hid the videocassette with Dagalayev's testimony and brought it with. It was this cassette, according to Batalov, that he wished to send to Politkovskaya. As far as we know, Anna never received it.
----
* Colonel Dranets is not a fictional character, but a real person. He is an officer who has worked in Chechnya for a long time. It was he who was mentioned in the open letter written supposedly to former members of the gang of FSB agent Movladi Baisarov, who in turn was killed in the autumn of last year in Moscow. He was a person who kept in contact with them in Moscow.
Tinfoil time - I always wondered about the apartment bombings waaaay back because it seemed like a lot of explosives got in there. Of course it sounds like 9/11 tinfoil, which I don’t believe that our gov’t had anything to do with 9/11 at all.
What’s the inside word on those apartments, though? (from non-Michael Rivero sources I mean)
I hope so too.
Yes, it seemed to me that if the Chechens were going to strike, they’d hit military or gov’t buildings, certainly not well-guarded. Well there was the Moscow theater but that was to get a *lot* of hostages, as Beslan was later.
mystery, riddle, enigma -— etc.
“Putin needs to be put in his place...”
Exactly how? A few spies being sent back to Moscow is hardly WW3, and with The Russian Federation sitting on the oil and gas reserves that Europe relies upon, what possible action can we take?
Oh, and lets not forget enough nukes to turn the planet to dust.
Moscow in response has said that it wont necessarily reply in a symmetrical manner.
saw your tagline. apt, interesting and to the point, but then watch and see what Oscar can do with the roles reversed.
“America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilisation in between”
Just playing around guys, and showing whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
;)
Here’s a better tagline ;-)
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