Putin: Russia Gave Bush Iraq Intelligence

[mrmatas2277]

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.

[igloo]

This will be ignored or diminished by the left and clueless antiBushies (and the major media)

[ghhhhhost]

if u wana get technical....Serbia gave the US the majority of information on Iraqi infrastructure...being that they designed a good deal of it in the 70's and 80's. Tito didnt make money from selling crystal and wheat.

[bigpoppanils]

This will be ignored or diminished by the left and clueless antiBushies (and the major media)

well...its a bit contradictory...

from the above article:

"He said Russia didn't have any information that Saddam's regime had actually been behind any terrorist acts."

[jamiroguy1]

Ok... Let's Bomb Russia now.

[mrmatas2277]

Ok... Let's Bomb Russia now.

[mursa]

...doesn't make sense .

1... if russia had billions of dollars to receive from Saddam , why would get give info into toppling Saddam .

2.. why didn't russia join the coalition after the war began .

[mrmatas2277]

...doesn't make sense .

1... if russia had billions of dollars to receive from Saddam , why would get give info into toppling Saddam .

2.. why didn't russia join the coalition after the war began .

couple of things to kick around...

a) the Russians after 9/11 were warmer towards us, than they are now

maybe the Russians did it on purpose to make a America look bad by making them invade Iraq (Conspiracy Theory in me)

[bigpoppanils]

...doesn't make sense .

1... if russia had billions of dollars to receive from Saddam , why would get give info into toppling Saddam .

2.. why didn't russia join the coalition after the war began .

here's another one....

if our government had this info...why didnt they use it to make their case to the UN or the American public?

[daprofessional]

ummm, it's a country run by criminals, don't believe Russian officials too much. They made a lot of money off Saddam and now realize they should be warming up to Saddam again. Every single media outlet is state owned or controlled and the few rich oligarchs run every thing along with the criminals while everyone else is dirt poor.

[igloo]

well...its a bit contradictory...

from the above article:

"He said Russia didn't have any information that Saddam's regime had actually been behind any terrorist acts."

IS that really the point?

Just think about, not just you, but all the Bush hating conspiracists who ignore, diminish, and discount every piece of data that ruins production of "Bush Lied" t-shirts.....

Think it through

[bigpoppanils]

IS that really the point?

Just think about, not just you, but all the Bush hating conspiracists who ignore, diminish, and discount every piece of data that ruins production of "Bush Lied" t-shirts.....

Think it through

once again I ask...

the gov't had this info....why didnt it use it?!

[xpyrate]

once again I ask...

the gov't had this info....why didnt it use it?!

it just would've been too easy that way

[igloo]

once again I ask...

the gov't had this info....why didnt it use it?!

Use it in what way??????.... How do we know the conditions in which it was given at the time??????.......Did the Govt talk much about how Saudi Arabia before the war DID support the war, and provided their soil for Special OPS (this came out a year later).......Did the govt at the time talk about how most ME countries supported the war behind the scenes, and aided in preperations in different ways?

Should Bush have gone to an anti-war rally and announced this information over a loud speaker?......Would it have mattered to the anti-Bushies (Foreign intelligence services, Clinton Administration, and the U.N all believed Iraq had WMD, yet the Bush "lied" bullshit still carries on....)

Again, you are missing the point ...widely and badly.....and doing what every Bush hater does.....ignore, diminish and discount information like this.....

THINK IT THROUGH