Russia Fears Viktor Bout Could Reveal Secrets

[LaoPo]

Alas, bout wasn't framed ... wasn't set up, he did get caught in a sting. He got caught and arrested NOT by the US but by the Thai police who were working with the DEA to get a known gun-runner in jail.

What happened to Bout was legal ... legal in Thailand, Legal in the US, and I am sure legal in the NL. To pose as a buyer to give a seller the opportunity to get caught breaking the law is common practice. Bout won't be charged with selling arms to FARC. He didn't. He will be charged with conspiracy to sell arms to FARC. Which he (to the best of his knowledge) did. Additional charges like conspiracy to aid a known terrorist organization may also be charged against him.

Your claims of hypocrisy on the part of the US in selling arms to Saudi Arabia is hypocrisy. They didn't hide the deal. They didn't meet in a hotel room and try and figure out if someone was a cop. They did what most countries do. They came to an arrangement and announced it. Your attempts to bring 9-11 into it are equally hypocritical. It was people of a similar ilk as Bout's average customer that pulled off 9-11 ... NOT Saudi Arabia.

..this is going to be one of the longest Ping-Pong games on TV.

OK: He was arrested by the Thai Police......but upon request of the US secret services I assume; Little Brother listens to Big Brother, right?

No, this kind of sting operations by foreign countries/secret services is not allowed in the NL, contraire to what other so called "friends" of secret agents claim on this forum .

What happened after that became a very difficult (till now) situation for the Thai government who are now bending full force with their (in)famous Bamboom Policy, trying to comfort both the Russians and the Americans.

And, about the $ 60 Billion weapons deal with Saudia Arabia:

I'm sure many secret meetings in hotel rooms have been held and/or in secret offices both in SA and/or the US BEFORE this deal was finalized.

This is a VERY sensitive issue in the USA and I'm also convinced that the US Governmental PR Agency has chosen a carefully picked moment to publish this deal....in order not to wake-up the American citizens;)

But, you're right when you wrote: "It was people of a similar ilk as Bout's average customer that pulled off 9-11 ... NOT Saudi Arabia" ...

...but the US wouldn't do a $ 60 Billion weapons deal with Bout's Russia, would they?

And, didn't the Authoritarian Islamic Absolute Kingdom of SA -silently and secretly- approve to have trained Saudi (and of other nationalities) terrorists on their soil, and all but one 9/11 terrorists, born in it's own country ?

But everybody knows how close the ties were between the 2 former Bush Administrations and King Abdullah of SA...

I suppose I don't need to GOOGLE both names because you will find many photos of the 2 Heads of State, kissing and hugging each other.

Happy reading:

Saudi Arabia: Terrorist Financing Issues

from:

http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL32499.pdf

and:

SAUDI ARABIA'S DUBIOUS DENIALS OF

INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

from:

http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp504.htm

LaoPo

[jdinasia]

Bout was set-up in a sting operation (not framed as corrected by the esteemed Animatic, being wrong language ) by the US on Thai soil. Is that defending Bout? You have to do better than that jdinasia.

I'm not defending Bout; I'm opposing to the SYSTEM the Americans used in this deal.

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' follow a simpleton logic that goes: "If you're not with us you're against us"

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' are not known for critical thinking, they don't have the ability to think that their position is maybe not 100% right without any doubts.

They are good in flag waving, singing patriotic songs and circular reasoning but not reflective thoughts.

Please re-read your post and then explain to the rest of us "circular reasoning" :-)

[LaoPo]

Bout was set-up in a sting operation (not framed as corrected by the esteemed Animatic, being wrong language ) by the US on Thai soil. Is that defending Bout? You have to do better than that jdinasia.

I'm not defending Bout; I'm opposing to the SYSTEM the Americans used in this deal.

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' follow a simpleton logic that goes: "If you're not with us you're against us"

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' are not known for critical thinking, they don't have the ability to think that their position is maybe not 100% right without any doubts.

They are good in flag waving, singing patriotic songs and circular reasoning but not reflective thoughts.

Please re-read your post and then explain to the rest of us "circular reasoning" :-)

To me it means: repeated reasoning (but not open to reflective thoughts or opinions by others)

But, I'm not speaking for the OP of course.

It's my own interpretation and I could be wrong.

LaoPo

[jdinasia]

Lao

http://www.justice.g...al/foreign.html

Europe Region: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Belarus, Benin, Bosnia, Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Channel Islands, Comoros, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Estonia, Equatorial European Union (EU), Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Liberia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland (6 counties), Norway, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Principality of Andorra, Poland, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, San Marino, Serbia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Spanish Enclaves (Ceuta & Melilla), Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Nations (UN), Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe

OPERATION RED TIDE

http://www.justice.g...or/redtide.html

On November 22, 2000, the DEA, FBI, IRS, and the U.S. Customs Service concluded an 18-month investigation targeting a multi-ethnic, transnational Ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine distribution organization. The investigation, known as Operation Red Tide, was coordinated by a Los Angeles-based federal task force comprised of agents from the fore-mentioned agencies and strongly supported by several local and state law enforcement agencies. More than 22 arrests were made in Los Angeles, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; Anchorage, Alaska; Salt Lake City, Utah; London, England; Frankfurt, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

You'll have to show me something different that might explain why the DEA has offices there Yes, as in Thailand, arrests are made by local police as the DEA has no jurisdiction to make arrests on foreign soil.

Everything else you wrote is just tin-hat conspiracy theory stuff. The arms deal between the US and the Saudi government was discussed in private meetings but not in some hotel room in Thailand

As far as press releases showing "heads of state, kissing" .... LOL yeah there is certainly a conspiracy there! Publicly seen meeting at State functions! OMG call the tabloids! (If you wanted to talk about Bush connections to Saudi Arabia you should be talking about Bin Laden's family. Then again we don't blame the sins of the son on the father, uncle or cousin.

Again ---- what happened to Bout was legal here, legal in the US and legal in the NL.

The Netherlands as a branch of American law enforcement?

Subtitle

Justus Uitermark and Peter Cohen

On 13 and 14 March 2003, government representatives, including Dutch and American law enforcement officers, held a meeting on law enforcement and terrorism. However, the agreements that were reached have little to do with terrorism. Almost all of them relate to drugs, especially ecstasy. The American enforcement agencies’ wish to have the complete and unconditional cooperation of the Dutch legal system finally seems to be fulfilled.

Despite the fact that these agreements have been formally made in the context of the “War on International Terrorism”, they should be seen in the light of a far older war, the ”War on Drugs”. The only difference is that other and more severe methods are now being employed. The new agreements fit with a general tendency of the American government, law enforcement agencies and intelligence services to have (even) less respect for the sovereignty of other countries after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The capacity and competency of their law enforcement services are being expanded because of their lack of faith in the capabilities of other countries’ law enforcement. In addition to the (secret) number of agents already in the Netherlands, the State Department will appoint a new Global Issues Officer and the Drug Enforcement Administration will install a special agent and an analyst to supervise law enforcement operations. All DEA-agents are stationed at the American embassy in The Hague and enjoy diplomatic immunity. This means, amongst other things, that American agents can not be held accountable or even questioned in case of a scandal or doubts about the functioning of the legal system, as was the case with the Van Traa parliamentary investigation.

http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/uitermark.filiaal.en.html

You will have to judge the source material on your own

Edited October 22, 2010 by jdinasia

[animatic]

LaoPo playing God again.

Please go post on your Mother tongue forum. Stop using us as a place for you to Feel Superior.

Trust me...You are not!

You are a windbag who loves to argue with a classic Passive-Agressive Style!

You love to argue but must grab your toy and run home every single time another makes a stronger point than you.

You will be at 14,000 posts soon and said 0.

Have some respect for us and yourself.

Go post in Dutch!

While I don't agree with LaoPo that often, he has made some good points

from time to time I typically find no reason to comment on those.

But occasionally do. And when I comment on what I find wrong headed,

or technically incorrect, and so a point is not being made coherently,

or based on false assumption, then I find an adversarial and too often

vituperative response. Such is life on TVF of course, and he is not alone,

in this regard, though seems to believe it is a personal singularity.

C'est la vie. Sharp wit, in native idium, is often misconstrued.

So why use it in a general forum with an international audience? I would assume you wanted to communicate effectively.

I have secretly admired your use of quatrains and quintains to ostensibly add a certain poetic lyricism and intellectual weight to your arguments.

I look forward to an epic on a par with 'Paradise Lost' in full iambic pentameter should the Democrat party be dissolved in the coming months.

I will try to use

specialized haiku

so interesting

Worry not about

form but better functioning

of daily thought trains

Edited October 22, 2010 by animatic

[jdinasia]

Bout was set-up in a sting operation (not framed as corrected by the esteemed Animatic, being wrong language ) by the US on Thai soil. Is that defending Bout? You have to do better than that jdinasia.

I'm not defending Bout; I'm opposing to the SYSTEM the Americans used in this deal.

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' follow a simpleton logic that goes: "If you're not with us you're against us"

The patriotic one-dimensional flat 'thinkers' are not known for critical thinking, they don't have the ability to think that their position is maybe not 100% right without any doubts.

They are good in flag waving, singing patriotic songs and circular reasoning but not reflective thoughts.

Please re-read your post and then explain to the rest of us "circular reasoning" :-)

To me it means: repeated reasoning (but not open to reflective thoughts or opinions by others)

But, I'm not speaking for the OP of course.

It's my own interpretation and I could be wrong.

LaoPo

Which he repeats at least twice (circular) while adding nothing cognitive to the discussion

[SergeiY]

..this is going to be one of the longest Ping-Pong games on TV.

...

Don't feed the trolls

[LaoPo]

Lao

http://www.justice.g...al/foreign.html

http://www.justice.g...or/redtide.html

You'll have to show me something different that might explain why the DEA has offices there Yes, as in Thailand, arrests are made by local police as the DEA has no jurisdiction to make arrests on foreign soil.

http://www.cedro-uva...filiaal.en.html

You will have to judge the source material on your own

I hope you don't mind I shortened your lengthy post a bit, Ok?

Yes, DEA offices/agents for heavy drugs related cases are operating together with joint forces in the NL and other European countries; that is old news, but they are NOT allowed to do sting operations on their own, including in drugs related cases, with or without the knowledge of the Ministry Foreign Affairs, let alone weapons transactions.

And, the NL would NEVER allow the DEA or any other secret agency to operate -in secret- on NL soil if weapons deals are on the horizon like in the Bout case.

There have been quite a few drugs deals in the NL whereby the US asked for the extradition of the criminals involved.

The NL Government didn't approve and in a number of cases, US undercover agents lured the same criminals on another countries' soil, Spain for instance, and "tipped" the Spanish government, asking for extradition of the same criminals to the US and in which cases Spain approved and extradited the -drugs- criminals to the US.

So much for the different laws in different countries, whether one approves or not.

Another example that the NL Government didn't cooperate was a recent one where an Argentinian/Dutch Captain Pilot of Transavia Airlines was arrested in his cockpit in Spain on his VERY LAST vv flight from Amsterdam to Spain (because of his retirement) and was lured into a set-up by the Argentine Prosecution since the Captain was -falsely- accused to be one of the pilots who dropped innocent Argentinian victims during the "Generals Regime" and "dirty war" in Argentina in the '70's.

It appeared that Argentinian Prosecution/agents came to Holland on several occasions but the NL didn't approve of any actions since there was NO proof whatsoever; that's why they moved their operation to Spain.

The man is now behind Argentinian bars, simply because 2 NL co-pilots got angry with him during a stay-over on Bali, 2 years earlier, and decided to accuse the Captain....It will take a ong time before his case will appear before Court.

The man, at the time of the dirty war, didn't even have a license to fly heavy planes transport planes; he was a young jet pilot.

But, we -again- agree, that we disagree about the sting operations.

LaoPo

[SergeiY]

But, we -again- agree, that we disagree about the sting operations.

LaoPo

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

PS: in case you don't know and nobody told you yet. What you call 'framed' that IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

edit to add a PS

Edited October 22, 2010 by SergeiY

[jdinasia]

Lao

http://www.justice.g...al/foreign.html

http://www.justice.g...or/redtide.html

You'll have to show me something different that might explain why the DEA has offices there Yes, as in Thailand, arrests are made by local police as the DEA has no jurisdiction to make arrests on foreign soil.

http://www.cedro-uva...filiaal.en.html

You will have to judge the source material on your own

I hope you don't mind I shortened your lengthy post a bit, Ok?

Yes, DEA offices/agents for heavy drugs related cases are operating together with joint forces in the NL and other European countries; that is old news, but they are NOT allowed to do sting operations on their own, including in drugs related cases, with or without the knowledge of the Ministry Foreign Affairs, let alone weapons transactions.

And, the NL would NEVER allow the DEA or any other secret agency to operate -in secret- on NL soil if weapons deals are on the horizon like in the Bout case.

There have been quite a few drugs deals in the NL whereby the US asked for the extradition of the criminals involved.

The NL Government didn't approve and in a number of cases, US undercover agents lured the same criminals on another countries' soil, Spain for instance, and "tipped" the Spanish government, asking for extradition of the same criminals to the US and in which cases Spain approved and extradited the -drugs- criminals to the US.

So much for the different laws in different countries, whether one approves or not.

Another example that the NL Government didn't cooperate was a recent one where an Argentinian/Dutch Captain Pilot of Transavia Airlines was arrested in his cockpit in Spain on his VERY LAST vv flight from Amsterdam to Spain (because of his retirement) and was lured into a set-up by the Argentine Prosecution since the Captain was -falsely- accused to be one of the pilots who dropped innocent Argentinian victims during the "Generals Regime" and "dirty war" in Argentina in the '70's.

It appeared that Argentinian Prosecution/agents came to Holland on several occasions but the NL didn't approve of any actions since there was NO proof whatsoever; that's why they moved their operation to Spain.

The man is now behind Argentinian bars, simply because 2 NL co-pilots got angry with him during a stay-over on Bali, 2 years earlier, and decided to accuse the Captain....It will take a ong time before his case will appear before Court.

The man, at the time of the dirty war, didn't even have a license to fly heavy planes transport planes; he was a young jet pilot.

But, we -again- agree, that we disagree about the sting operations.

LaoPo

THAI police made the arrest ---- as in the Netherlands the DEA was working WITH the local police. It was a legal sting as attested to by the Thai police and Thai courts Please reread what was written. Then look at your own country's associations with agents of the DEA. (Who are by the way, immune from prosecution in the NL

YOU are the ones claiming this was some kind of secret agent thing --- the Thai police are not claiming that and neither is the DEA or the Thai courts Conspiracy theory at its finest!

BTW --- the case you describe above was not a "sting". A sting by nature presents a criminal with his own particular poison of choice (with Bout it was gun running) and of course the target of the sting can simply NOT negotiate a sale (murder for hire, drugs, prostitution etc). What the NL refused to do was make an arrest because they saw no grounds for arrest. Another country thought differently.

[jdinasia]

But, we -again- agree, that we disagree about the sting operations.

LaoPo

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

The claim is not that it "legal in the USA" ... the claim is that it is legal in Thailand, the USA, and any place else that the local police agree to work with a foreign agency to make an arrest. Bout offered to sell guns to people he thought were FARC. That constitutes all that is needed for a conspiracy to commit a crime to happen. The Thai police made the arrest and were included in the process the whole time.

[LaoPo]

But, we -again- agree, that we disagree about the sting operations.

LaoPo

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

But HEY, the operation was NOT on American soil.

Let's cut the cr@p since we agree: we disagree. This is an endless story.

I'm out of here; enjoy yourselves, debating untill you drop; not worth my time anymore.

Bye

LaoPo

[animatic]

I guess fighting the good fight doesn't entail overtaxing ones self.

[SergeiY]

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

But HEY, the operation was NOT on American soil.

Oh, SH*T you are right. And Bout isn't brought to the USA yet (and was maybe never there before). Anyway, NOT is not an legitimate answer for an American.

And wait, i give you a point you cannot argue about.

Listen: IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA. iamright? :jerk: yes. yes. yes. feels so goood.

http://www.justice.gov Ja, ja, jawohl. Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!.

[A_Traveller]

I recall the contemporaneous reports both public and private. The position seemed to be that within the apparent time line there was barely enough time for Vikto to get to the Sofitel before he was arrested. It was suggested then, that maybe the locals who initiated the arrest may have been a trifle over-enthusiastic leading to a lack of evidence within their [Thailand] jurisdiction.

This then led to the rapid replacement of the original Grand Jury submission with another which added, crucially from the US perspective, the charge of supplying arms to target US citizens. Whatever the truth here, the arrest was, as far as I could see at the time botched, and in part has led to this farrago of up-cocks. The other question though, is why the DEA, not another more likely TLA, was this 'sting instigator' could that have anything to do with the not uncommon suggestions back in the '90s that Viktor [and others] were active in assisting those same organisation 'off the books'.

After all his company was on the roster for Iraq, and was an active participant in airlifts for the DoD et al. Then there's the know linkage with the UN, which adds an interesting proposition of asking senior UN officials, both current and former to testify.

As to sting vs entrapment, I'm not as comfortable as some here with this one, especially as laid out in the Grand Jury submission, but the US justice system has moved to a more aggressive posture on this in my view.

One suspects that there are a number of groups who irrespective of their location, allegiance or activity, would not be too unhappy if Viktor was back in Moscow.

Regards

[craigt3365]

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

But HEY, the operation was NOT on American soil.

Oh, SH*T you are right. And Bout isn't brought to the USA yet (and was maybe never there before). Anyway, NOT is not an legitimate answer for an American.

And wait, i give you a point you cannot argue about.

Listen: IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA. iamright? :jerk: yes. yes. yes. feels so goood.

http://www.justice.gov Ja, ja, jawohl. Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!.

I think he's off his meds....

[A_Traveller]

^ Well the last line would seem to be a reminder via Dr Strangeglove, of Operation Paperclip and those associated activities.

Regards

[animatic]

One main reason the DEA is involved is that much arms smuggling and dealing is financed by serious drug trading. FARC is commonly held to have moved tons of coke, or guarded and transported it, contracting for the cartels to finance their war against the Colombian government. It quite rightly ties the two together that the DEA can come in through their knowledge of one door, that might likely be blocked for another investigative force. Who takes the credit divided up as per job percentage or some such.

Edited October 22, 2010 by animatic

[SergeiY]

One main reason the DEA is involved is that much arms smuggling and dealing is financed by serious drug trading. FARC is commonly held to have moved tons of coke, or guarded and transported it, contracting for the cartels to finance their war against the Colombian government. It quite rightly ties the two together that the DEA can come in through their knowledge of one door, that might likely be blocked for another investigative force. Who takes the credit divided up as per job percentage or some such.

WAR ON DRUG sound always good.

[SergeiY]

^ Well the last line would seem to be a reminder via Dr Strangeglove, of Operation Paperclip and those associated activities.

Regards

Yes, but unfortunately not everyone is a film buff here.

[animatic]

One main reason the DEA is involved is that much arms smuggling and dealing is financed by serious drug trading. FARC is commonly held to have moved tons of coke, or guarded and transported it, contracting for the cartels to finance their war against the Colombian government. It quite rightly ties the two together that the DEA can come in through their knowledge of one door, that might likely be blocked for another investigative force. Who takes the credit divided up as per job percentage or some such.

WAR ON DRUG sound always good.

Righty O!!

Let's let the free market decide how much Meth, Heroin and Coke

our kids can handle on a daily basis!

How many ounces for that RPG and that cute little SAM?

Edited October 22, 2010 by animatic

[jdinasia]

But HEY. don't you get it? IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA.

But HEY, the operation was NOT on American soil.

Oh, SH*T you are right. And Bout isn't brought to the USA yet (and was maybe never there before). Anyway, NOT is not an legitimate answer for an American.

And wait, i give you a point you cannot argue about.

Listen: IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA. iamright? :jerk: yes. yes. yes. feels so goood.

http://www.justice.gov Ja, ja, jawohl. Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!.

I think he's off his meds....

He's using his circular logic .... apparently it doesn't matter to him that Bout was attempting to sell arms to FARC .. all that matters is that the USA was involved (although the Thai police made the arrest!)

Is it just me ---- or posts 259 and 260 do not look like they were written by the same person linguistically?

I think someone's persona is cracking!

Edited October 22, 2010 by jdinasia

[craigt3365]

But HEY, the operation was NOT on American soil.

Oh, SH*T you are right. And Bout isn't brought to the USA yet (and was maybe never there before). Anyway, NOT is not an legitimate answer for an American.

And wait, i give you a point you cannot argue about.

Listen: IT IS LEGAL IN THE USA. iamright? :jerk: yes. yes. yes. feels so goood.

http://www.justice.gov Ja, ja, jawohl. Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!.

I think he's off his meds....

He's using his circular logic .... apparently it doesn't matter to him that Bout was attempting to sell arms to FARC .. all that matters is that the USA was involved (although the Thai police made the arrest!)

Is it just me ---- or posts 259 and 260 do not look like they were written by the same person linguistically?

I think someone's persona is cracking!

For sure something's strange. One post is perfect English, the next is crazy. Either 2 people, drunk, off meds. Whatever. I've read some of his other posts and they are quite lucid. But on this topic, he's off the chart....

If any country other than the US was involved in this sting, it wouldn't be news at all. But mention the US, and all the bashers come out in full force. Interesting...

[bitterbatter]

I think some Thai officials would prefer just to auction him off to the highest bidder! :jap:

It was would be much simpler then having to deal with silly rules about legality.

Meanwhile back in prison, Victor plans his escape by buying large amounts hormones and tries to hide his growing tits and he plans to sneak out the back door as a ladyboy.

Edited October 23, 2010 by bitterbatter

[Wallaby]

With Bout being an alleged very experienced arms dealer one wonders why he would agree to sell arms to people from the US. Surely, with his alleged vast experience he would know that it was a sting because no one from the US would be involved in such things as arms trafficking. Or is the US not as pure as some lead us to believe and Bout had not a second thought that some in the US would be willing to illegally buy arms.

Just love the logic of the US govt at the time of 9/11. Most bombers from SA so lets invade Iraq???????? Then sell arms to SA.

I am also very sorry that Rupert Murdoch was an Australian, but happy he is not now.

[craigt3365]

With Bout being an alleged very experienced arms dealer one wonders why he would agree to sell arms to people from the US. Surely, with his alleged vast experience he would know that it was a sting because no one from the US would be involved in such things as arms trafficking. Or is the US not as pure as some lead us to believe and Bout had not a second thought that some in the US would be willing to illegally buy arms.

Just love the logic of the US govt at the time of 9/11. Most bombers from SA so lets invade Iraq???????? Then sell arms to SA.

I am also very sorry that Rupert Murdoch was an Australian, but happy he is not now.

I think you need to research the basics of this case more closely. Viktor was trying to sell weapons to the FARC, not the US. He had no idea the US was involved. From what I read, Viktor was getting arrogant and greedy. He didn't think he could get caught. Especially in a country like Thailand where you can usually bribe your way out of anything....

And for sure, the invasion of Iraq is a mess and should have never been done. Please understand the difference between a government and it's citizens. The war was opposed by a majority of US civilians...but supported by a few in power. It's like Russia. The people are great, the rulers are not so great....

I also don't think you understand SA. There are a few bad apples, but should the US have invaded Saudi Arabia due to the 9/11 bombers? I'm sure your country has a few bad apples...does that make the entire country bad? IMHO, I love the sale of weapons to SA...lets us get some of our cash back!

[Wallaby]

With Bout being an alleged very experienced arms dealer one wonders why he would agree to sell arms to people from the US. Surely, with his alleged vast experience he would know that it was a sting because no one from the US would be involved in such things as arms trafficking. Or is the US not as pure as some lead us to believe and Bout had not a second thought that some in the US would be willing to illegally buy arms.

Just love the logic of the US govt at the time of 9/11. Most bombers from SA so lets invade Iraq???????? Then sell arms to SA.

I am also very sorry that Rupert Murdoch was an Australian, but happy he is not now.

I think you need to research the basics of this case more closely. Viktor was trying to sell weapons to the FARC, not the US. He had no idea the US was involved. From what I read, Viktor was getting arrogant and greedy. He didn't think he could get caught. Especially in a country like Thailand where you can usually bribe your way out of anything....

And for sure, the invasion of Iraq is a mess and should have never been done. Please understand the difference between a government and it's citizens. The war was opposed by a majority of US civilians...but supported by a few in power. It's like Russia. The people are great, the rulers are not so great....

I also don't think you understand SA. There are a few bad apples, but should the US have invaded Saudi Arabia due to the 9/11 bombers? I'm sure your country has a few bad apples...does that make the entire country bad? IMHO, I love the sale of weapons to SA...lets us get some of our cash back!

Yes you are correct, I should have read more and stand corrected and humiliated.

My comments on Iraq are directed to the govt, not the people as I am sure there are many sane people in the US, unfortunately I cannot say the same for certain polititicians that find themselves with immense power. I don't know too much about Russia but have some Russian friends and have no reason to disagree with you.

I'm not saying the US should have invaded SA, just can't understand why the govt decided Iraq should be responsible.

Yes my country has many many bad apples, no argument there.

[craigt3365]

With Bout being an alleged very experienced arms dealer one wonders why he would agree to sell arms to people from the US. Surely, with his alleged vast experience he would know that it was a sting because no one from the US would be involved in such things as arms trafficking. Or is the US not as pure as some lead us to believe and Bout had not a second thought that some in the US would be willing to illegally buy arms.

Just love the logic of the US govt at the time of 9/11. Most bombers from SA so lets invade Iraq???????? Then sell arms to SA.

I am also very sorry that Rupert Murdoch was an Australian, but happy he is not now.

I think you need to research the basics of this case more closely. Viktor was trying to sell weapons to the FARC, not the US. He had no idea the US was involved. From what I read, Viktor was getting arrogant and greedy. He didn't think he could get caught. Especially in a country like Thailand where you can usually bribe your way out of anything....

And for sure, the invasion of Iraq is a mess and should have never been done. Please understand the difference between a government and it's citizens. The war was opposed by a majority of US civilians...but supported by a few in power. It's like Russia. The people are great, the rulers are not so great....

I also don't think you understand SA. There are a few bad apples, but should the US have invaded Saudi Arabia due to the 9/11 bombers? I'm sure your country has a few bad apples...does that make the entire country bad? IMHO, I love the sale of weapons to SA...lets us get some of our cash back!

Yes you are correct, I should have read more and stand corrected and humiliated.

My comments on Iraq are directed to the govt, not the people as I am sure there are many sane people in the US, unfortunately I cannot say the same for certain polititicians that find themselves with immense power. I don't know too much about Russia but have some Russian friends and have no reason to disagree with you.

I'm not saying the US should have invaded SA, just can't understand why the govt decided Iraq should be responsible.

Yes my country has many many bad apples, no argument there.

No worries. In the US, there are many, many, many folk who are very unhappy with their politicians. The approval rating is pretty much at an all time low. But what do you do? Sure, you cast your vote, but usually the choices are not that great. Something needs to change. I'm from Nevada and have the choice of Reid or Angle. Neither choice is a good one. But that's all we have. Angle was just quoted as saying 2 communities in the US are now under Sharia law...unreal...and voting for Reid is just voting for more of the same BS.

Iraq was a horrible mistake. Most American's agree with that, and the ones that don't just do not understand what is going on there. I think most American's agree with you in that we can't understand why Iraq was invaded either...other than some politicians giving us bad info on those famous "Weapons of Mass Destruction". Sounds like a plot for a movie....

Anyway, hope you have a great day...I know I will as it is NOT RAINING today!!!!

[Buchholz]

U.S. hopes for 'very soon' extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer

Washington expects suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to be extradited from Thailand and face trial in the United States in the near future, Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley said. "Thailand is going through an internal process and we expect this to be resolved very, very soon," Crowley told a press briefing in Washington on Friday.

Bout, 44, was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 at the request of the United States. His extradition to the United States was ordered by the Thai appeals court on August 20, but was not carried out because the United States brought the second set of charges against him in February. These charges were dropped in early October, bringing the so-called Merchant of Death one step closer to extradition on an earlier U.S. request. Bout must be handed over to the U.S. side within three months after the announcement of the sentence. If he is not extradited on November 20, he must be released and sent back to Russia.

Continues:

http://en.rian.ru/world/20101113/161315505.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti - 18 minutes ago