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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (38548)	2/27/2004 4:39:16 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Other than the death that started it, it's been fun to watch this story develop. Moscow warns of diplomatic row with Qatar Moscow is demanding that Qatar frees two Russian security service agents arrested on charges of murdering a Chechen separatist leader in a car bomb explosion. Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said on Friday that the incident risks hurting relations between the two countries. "Our main objective today is to obtain the freedom of our embassy staff and their return home," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov told a press conference on Friday. "It's in the interests not only of the two men, but of Qatar and Russia and their bilateral relations," he added. Qatar's interior ministry announced on Thursday that two men had been charged with assassinating former Chechen president Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev. A third Russian security agent was arrested and subsequently freed, according to Moscow. The Russian foreign ministry on Friday summoned Qatar's ambassador to Moscow to hear Russia's protests about the arrests for the second time in two days. Angry response Russia's acting foreign minister Igor Ivanov angrily denounced the security agents' arrest on Thursday, complaining that they had been detained by force without informing the Russian embassy in Qatar. Russia has flatly denied the accusations against the detained men and insisted that it was not involved in the Chechen rebel figure's assassination. The two men have been held "for nine days," according to Saltanov, who said he was "worried for their health and their lives." Saltanov said that the two secret agents had been posted to the Russian embassy in Qatar to help in the "fight against terrorism," in particular terrorist financing. The 51-year-old Yandarbiyev, who had lived in Qatar "temporarily" for nearly three years with his family despite a Russian extradition request. Although never formally accused, Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service has said it had nothing to do with the death of Yandarbiyev, who was killed when his car blew up on 13 February. Yandarbiyev briefly headed Russia's war-torn separatist republic of Chechnya in the mid 1990s. english.aljazeera.net >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Qatar's Emir doesn't have the best credentials with the more extreme Islamists. He may just view this as an opportunity. JMO lurqer

To: lurqer who wrote (38548)	2/27/2004 4:48:09 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

L..re.. " the Repubs had tried to get two Demo members removed" from the 911 Commission Guess they are taking lessons from Iran's Hard Liners Birds of a Feather. T

To: lurqer who wrote (38548)	2/27/2004 6:22:22 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

UN bugging scandal widens Butler says his negotiations on Iraq were secretly monitored The former UN chief weapons inspector in Iraq, Richard Butler, says his phone calls at the United Nations were bugged during his tenure from 1997 to 1999. He told Australian radio at least four UN Security Council members monitored his calls, and he would leave the UN building if taking a confidential call. ABC Radio cited Australian intelligence sources as saying Hans Blix, the last weapons inspector, was also bugged. Ex-UK minister Clare Short says the UK bugged UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "Of course I was (bugged)," Richard Butler told ABC radio. "I was well aware of it. How did I know? Because those who did it would come to me and show me the recordings that they had made on others to help me do my job disarming Iraq." Mr Butler said he was bugged by the Americans, British, French and Russians. "I knew it from other sources," he said. "I was utterly confident that I was bugged by at least four permanent members of the Security Council." Hit back He said that if he needed to make a private call to his contacts, he would leave the UN building in New York and either go to a busy cafe or walk in Central Park. Meanwhile ABC reporter Andrew Fowler said he had been told by Australian intelligence contacts that Hans Blix - the UN's most recent weapons inspector in Iraq - was also tapped. "That's what I'm told, specifically each time he entered Iraq, his phone was targeted and recorded and the transcripts were then made available to the United States, Australia, Canada, the UK and also New Zealand," he said. The United Nations has already said that any bugging of UN offices would be illegal and should end immediately. The organisation was responding to claims on Thursday by the former UK cabinet minister Clare Short that British intelligence monitored calls by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. On Friday, Ms Short hit back after UK Prime Minister Tony Blair branded the claims "deeply irresponsible". She denied putting the UK or its security services at risk by her revelations, and accused the prime minister of using "pompous" distraction tactics. At his monthly news conference, Mr Blair insisted the UK security services acted in accordance with domestic and international law and in their country's best interests.