posted on June 18, 2004 06:41:04 AM new
Putin: Russia Gave Bush Iraq Intelligence
By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA, Associated Press Writer
ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Russia gave the Bush administration intelligence after the September 11 attacks that suggested Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime in Iraq (news - web sites) was preparing attacks in the United States, President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said Friday.
Putin said he couldn't comment on how critical the Russians' information was in the U.S. decision to invade Iraq. He said Russia didn't have any information that Saddam's regime had actually been behind any terrorist acts.
"After Sept. 11, 2001, and before the start of the military operation in Iraq, the Russian special services, the intelligence service, received information that officials from Saddam's regime were preparing terrorist attacks in the United States and outside it against the U.S. military and other interests," Putin said.
He said the United States had thanked Russia for the information. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials.
"It's one thing to have information that Saddam's regime is preparing terrorist attacks, (but) we didn't have information that it was involved in any known terrorist attacks," Putin said in the Kazakh capital Astana after regional economic and security summits.
Putin said the intelligence didn't cause Russia to waver from its firm opposition to the war.
"Despite that information about terrorist attacks being prepared by Saddam's regime, Russia's position on Iraq remains unchanged," Putin said.
Putin didn't elaborate on any details of the terror plots or mention whether they were tied to the al-Qaida terror network.
A commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States reported this week that while there were contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq, they did not appear to have produced "a collaborative relationship."
President Bush (news - web sites), however, insisted Thursday that Saddam had "numerous contacts" with al-Qaida and said Iraqi agents had met with the terror network's leader, Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), in Sudan.
Saddam "was a threat because he had terrorist connections — not only al-Qaida connections, but other connections to terrorist organizations," Bush said.
posted on June 18, 2004 06:49:12 AM new
Putin...now THERE'S an honest man...ex-KGB, known terrorist, and worse, a friend of Bush's!
Ya, let's believe THIS guy!
Isn't this information coming rather late but at a suspiciously convenient time???????mmmmmmm
posted on June 18, 2004 07:01:43 AM new
Well the good news for you crowfarm, After this next election you won't have to worry about President Bush running again... you can only serve 2 terms...
