NEWS: Putin Says Russia Warned U.S. About Iraq Threat

In a surprise statement that could actually help President Bush's election campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia had warned the U.S. after 9/11 of Iraqi plans to launch terror attacks inside the United States. This latest statement could free the Bush Administration from showing a direct tie between al-Qaeda and Saddam.



I'm sure everyone in the Bush Administration are giving each other high-fives after this statement by Putin. This is huge! Russia seemed to side with France and Germany in their U.N. votes on invading Iraq, but now he seems to claim that there was information backing up the U.S. opinion, and Russia even provided some of it. At last week's G8 summit, Putin criticized U.S. Democrats for attacking George Bush's stance on the Iraq invasion. Now, Russia's opinion seems to be that the U.S. was right to invade Iraq, but should have followed international law in doing so.


Related ATS Discussions:
Bush stands by al Qaeda-Saddam link
Russia warned U.S. - now I'm confused
And Thought You Knew the Reasons for the Iraq War � Guess Again

[edit on 19-6-2004 by dbates]

Originally posted by dbates
This latest statement could free the Bush Administration from showing a direct tie between al-Qaeda and Saddam.

Maybe in your opinion. It's good news for the Bush Administration, but does it clear them from the lies, deception and international ruthlessness? This doesn't give any counterweight to the findings of the 9/11 commission about the non-existing fact of "a collaborative relationship," between al Qaeda and Iraq.






[edit on 18-6-2004 by Hoaks]

This is coming from the same state that invaded Afghanistan? And Chechnya? And threatening Georgia with invasion? And rattling sabres with Ukraine?

What everyone should be asking is "What does Russia want?" This seem to be a favor and in politics there is always a return favor. Putin obviously wants Bush re-elected. Why?

Does this clear the U.S. from lying about al-Qaeda ties? No, but it gives a escape route, so the al-Qaeda threat doesn't have to be proven by the Bush administration.

Originally posted by dbates
Does this clear the U.S. from lying about al-Qaeda ties? No, but it gives a escape route, so the al-Qaeda threat doesn't have to be proven by the Bush administration.

Where do you get the idea the US Lied about Al Qaeda, a clear reading of the PDF highlights published by the 9/11 commision says there was ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda, what it also says that is being misconstued by most is that there was no clear tie in the 9/11 attack between these two entities - not that there were no ties whatsoever which is what the media is erroniously reporting.

Well, I'm not taking either side in the al-Qaeda discussion, I'm just saying that the point could be considered moot if another credible country (And lets face it, Russia and the U.S. are still tops) says that the threat from Saddam was real. What is left to prove now? Do we wait until we are attacked until we act? No! Since we had evidence, and not just our own, but Russia and other countries were backing that evidence, the war seems like it may have been justified.

and it only came 1 week after the G-8 Summit where they all got together to decide how to divvy up the spoils of the rest of the world.

You can't BUY that kind of loyalty....oh wait....I guess you can......


There is no friend anywhere - Lao Tse

What everyone should be asking is "What does Russia want?" This seem to be a favor and in politics there is always a return favor. Putin obviously wants Bush re-elected. Why?

Very good question, read and you shall find...

First of all, Russia was opposed to the Iraqi War from the start. In 2002 talks, Putin stated their intelligence did not include any evidence of weapons of mass destruction. But their intelligence did find out Iraq was planning a terrorist attack against the US? Russia's stance on terrorism is clear, so why would that not be a motivating factor for them to join the coalition?

Anyway if there is a conspiracy, you might find all this information interesting...

U.S.-Russia Business Council
9th Annual Members and Directors Meeting
Keynote Presentation by Alexei Kudrin (IMF governor for Russia)
Paul O'neill (IMF governor for US)
Date: October 4-5, 2001 (Month after Sept. 11, day before G-8 2001)
Putin's comments were made at the G-8 in 2002

Kudrin's comments at the Business Council Meeting:

Among the most important tasks we foresee for the next couple of years is entry into the WTO...

The U.S. administration has had a lot to do with this. Secretary of Commerce Evans played a key role, as did U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick, and Treasury Secretary O'Neil, who visited Russia two months ago and gave serious impetus to our negotiation process.

During the recent visit of President Putin to Brussels, all the agreements that we are now in the process of achieving with the United States were reconfirmed at the European Union level.

Russia and the United States have tremendous potential for joint work. U.S. investments in Russia hold leading positions in the total value of accumulated investments. At the same time, in the last year other countries have begun to catch up. I think this is only temporary, and the United States, with its tremendous potential, will be able to maintain its position of the leading investor in Russia.

We view participation in the WTO as a major goal for Russia.

Source: www.usrbc.org...

So, the comments by Putin of the Iraq-terrorist connection were made at the subsequent G-8 conference in 2002. In 2001, the G8 was still concerned with Afghanistan.


Russia's WTO Status:

The WTO Working Party on the Accession of the Russian Federation, on 18 December 2002, agreed on an accelerated programme of work during the first half of 2003

The G-8 Summit in which Putin made his statements occured around June 27,2002. This occured prior to Russia's subsequent accelerated programme in December.
Source: www.wto.org...

As well, the coalition of the willing for the Iraqi War included Iceland and the Netherlands. The chairman of the working party for Russia in the WTO is from Iceland. The General Council member is from the Netherlands.

And anyway, check out what Putin said after he made his comments in 2002:

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned U.S. military action against Iraq on Thursday and called for a rapid end to U.S. operations. He told senior ministers in the Kremlin: ''Military action can in no way be justified. Military action is a big political error.'' If the world submitted to the right of might then no country would be safe, he said. ''It is for these reasons that Russia insists on an end as quickly as possible to military action.''

Interesting choice of words, also consider he told this to the Kremlin, Russia's intelligence network, the same one that probably supplied the information he gave in 2002.
Source:www.cdi.org...

More of Putin's War Opposition:

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Friday that Russia would veto the U.S.-backed resolution if needed to preserve "international stability."

And to back that up, we see this:

But many analysts say Russia does not want to risk a serious break in ties with the United States over Iraq.

Source: www.cnn.com...

Well, we may want to see if Russia will join the WTO soon enough after these talks!!!!!! I wonder how it goes with other countries, anyone want to take a stab!

BTW, can anyone direct me to a source when Putin made these allegations in 2002?

[edit on 19-6-2004 by Jamuhn]

Apparently others aren't sure when Putin made these statements...
Source: www.boston.com... les/2004/06/19/putin_says_he_warned_us_that_hussein_plotted_attack/" target="_blank" class="postlink">www.boston.com... _hussein_plotted_attack/

A lot of people are wondering where this information came from, I guess it was lost. So its just hearsay again...

Sorry guys, but gotta side with doom, this is nothing more than a manufactured statement cooked up last week, and probably paid for by some under the table deal.

Note the silence from the Whitehouse on this amazing statement?
Note also that Russia sided AGAINST America in the invasion of Iraq. Hardly the actions of a party that agreed they were a threat and had inside information on it.

How stupid do they think the public are? .....

Just more signs of the desperation of the Bush administration...

Originally posted by Voice_of Doom
and it only came 1 week after the G-8 Summit where they all got together to decide how to divvy up the spoils of the rest of the world.

You can't BUY that kind of loyalty....oh wait....I guess you can......

Originally posted by Netchicken
Sorry guys, but gotta side with doom...

And that, Netchicken, is why you sit alone as the greatest of moderators.

I have always thought that...even if I didn't publicly come out and say it. All of the people who work for me have been saying that for years...I just never got around to telling you. But I could be convinced to.....
I might even be convinced to LIE and say that I believe every post you have ever had was right. Maybe you and I could work out a "deal" behind the walls of a 5-Star Secluded Island resort where our security forces outnumbered protestors 66 to 1.
Then we could simply tell ATS that I have always been your biggest supporter...I wouldn't have to have facts...you don't need them in this world anymore (thanks post-modernists).

on a lighter note kiddies...since when did we start EVER BELIEVING WHAT THE RUSSIANS SAID ANYWAY?????!!!!!! Christ almighty...they're the GD Russians!!!!!


The single act of obediance is the cornerstone of authority - R.A.W

see if this makes sense.

2+2=4 right? right!

now follow along.

putin voices his opposition to this war and has done so with no shame. thats ok and its cool.

but NOW...we're finding out he warned the US of iraq?

now 2+2=5

if he was against us from the get go....see where i'm going with this? why would he "warn" us only to later oppose us going into iraq? seems these two concepts are contradictory to each other.

there are two examples of how the two can make sense when put together.

one he didnt like how we were going into iraq and ruin his business dealings with saddam, it involved actual military action, not more talking and hemming and hawing which putin wanted.

two...well there is no two. i lied about there being two examples.

and in light of the fact we know he had business dealings with saddam and we know he was agaisnt us going in there militarily as it would null and void all business dealings with a now removed dictator.....IF putin warned bush, what was the point of it exactly?

i seriously question if the guy even warned us at all and even if he did just about everything i know of (which is but a drop in the bucket) tells me this doesnt make sense. it doesnt add up.

anyone else have a spin they'd like to put on this and maybe shed some light on this?