E-Paper
Moscow spied on Blair for Iraq
A leading UK daily claimed that Russia provided Saddam's regime with wide ranging assistance in the months leading up to the war.
Russia has been dramatically accused in media reports of trying to foil the hunt for Saddam Hussein and of providing his regime with assistance in the months leading up to the war.
It is also alleged that Russia even gave intelligence on private conversation between Tony Blair and other western leaders.
The Sunday Mail has claimed "sensationally, other sources have independently told this newspaper that Moscow has already smuggled the dictator out of Baghdad - in a convoy led by the Russian Ambassador and bombed, unsuccessfully, by the Americans".
It says that according to intelligence reports Saddam and his son were travelling in convoy to Syria along Highway 11. The CIA ordered US Delta Force soldiers and field agents to the scene. "The field agents got there first and ordered the convoy to stop. When it refused the Americans opened fire. Then the soldiers arrived.
"By this time they had established that this was a Russian convoy led by country's ambassador, Vladimir Titorenko… With a diplomatic disaster in the offing, a ceasefire was hurriedly ordered."
The Mail claims quoting Russian sources, that Saddam and Uday then proceeded across the Syrian border to safety.
Downing Street has so far refused to be drawn into the controversy. It's spokesman merely said, "It's the first time that we have heard of these reports. Our priority is to work with international community to re-build Iraq." No comments were available from the Foreign Office either, although the claims have the potential of souring personal relations between Mr Blair and President Putin.
Moscow provided, alleges Sunday Telegraph on basis of documents it claimed to have obtained, Saddam Hussain with lists of assassins available for "hits" in the West and details of arms deals to neighbouring countries.
"The two countries also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to 'obtain' visas for agents to go to other countries and to exchange information on the activities of Osama bin Laden."
The paper said that the documents revealing information on Iraqi-Russian links were obtained from the heavily bombed headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence services in Baghdad on Saturday. The documents are in Arabic and contain reports from anonymous agents and from the Iraqi Embassy in Moscow.
It claims that Blair is referred in a report dated March 5, 2002, which is marked "Subject-Secret". In the letter an Iraqi intelligence officer explains that a Russian colleague had passed him details of a private conversation between Mr Blair and Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, when they met for an annual summit on February 15, 2002 in Rome. The report claims, "that Mr Blair referred to the negative things decided by the United States over Baghdad".
A list of assassins was allegedly passed on to Iraqis by a Russian agent. Another document dated March 12, 2002, is also cited to claim that Saddam had developed or was developing nuclear weapons. Russia also kept Iraq informed about its arms deals in the Middle East.
According to information passed Syria bought rockets from Russia in two batches in 1999 for £41 million and £ 46 million. Egypt too bought surface-to-air missiles.
The name of bin Laden, claims Sunday Telegraph, appears in a number of Moscow's communications.
