Russian Officials Ordered Not Travel To US - What Do They Know?

NewsMax.com
10-18-1

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - On the advise of President Vladmir Putin, Russian officials and prominent citizens Russians have been canceling travel plans to the U.S.

The advisory prompts concerns about whether the Russian government knows of more terrorist attacks planned against America.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has postponed a U.S. speaking tour at the urging of President Putin's office, citing security concerns, the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently is prohibiting nearly all government officials from flying to the United States during the next three weeks," the Omaha World-Herald said Oct. 10.

Omaha is another city where Gorbachev has canceled a planned speaking engagement.

NewsMax.com's Russia expert Col. Stanislav told us: "It's very interesting and could mean that Russian intelligence received information about new terrorist attacks against America, which could come any time soon and include attacks against U.S. civilian airplanes as well as Americans in the areas which could be visited by Russian and other officials.

Lunev, the highest ranking spy ever to defect from Russia's GRU Directorate (military intelligence) noted that Pres. Putin promised, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, to fully cooperate with the U.S. The advisory suggests, Lunev said, that Putin may have information not being shared with the U.S. government. His advisory also undermines international confidence in the U.S.

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington told the Post he had no idea why Gorbachev's visits were canceled.

Cities on the itinerary included West Palm Beach - near the anthrax infections at American Media Inc. in Boca Raton - and Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.

Gorbachev's booking agents in New York City tried but could not persuade him to go ahead with the trip, the World-Herald said.

Lunev noted that the idea Russia has advanced or significant knowledge of terrorist acts should come as no surprise. Russia has been the key backer for almost all nations identified by the State Dept. as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria.

Reports in several papers have already tied bin Laden's network to Russiam "mafia" groups. Lunev believes that such groups are merely fronts for Russian intelligence agencies.

Another indication of Russia's knowledge of terrorist acts, was the Pravda report this July, revealing the prediction of a key economics adviser in President Putin's circle who claimed the U.S. economy would collapse after a "financial attack."

After Sept. 11, the same adviser warned of new, and unusual attacks that would further weaken the U.S. economy.

"One more point," stated Lunev. "According to the Russian press - ORT channel on Oct. 16 - limited acts of bioterrorism in the U.S. could be considered as a field test of anthrax's combat use by terrorists, who began their preparations for a massive attack against America by biological weapons.

"They will learn lessons from the present field test and could use anthrax and other weapons of mass destruction in the U.S. ORT also didn't exclude possibility than terrorists using anthrax because they do not have any other biological weapons in their arsenal, as well as because practical use of anthrax is the simplest technically."

The Soviet Union produced hundreds of tons of anthrax at its sprawling biological weapons plants, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Gorbachev told CNN the same day: "I would like to refer to today's statement by Russian officials, the minister of public health and another official in charge of chemical weapons, it's very important what they both said, that there are no programs for the development of biological weapons in Russia. There is only research for medical purposes."

Gorbachev also said he hoped that from the present crisis a "new, international world order" would be created.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001

Answers

Miami Herald

Published Thursday, October 18, 2001

Russia bans Florida meat

Unusual step tied to anthrax cases

BY SHANNON TAN stan@herald.com

Russia has banned all meat products and livestock shipped from Florida over fears of anthrax, and will not lift the ban until the United States fully discloses the scale of anthrax outbreaks, the Russian agriculture ministry said Wednesday.

The ban is ``temporary until further notice,'' veterinary service chief Mikhail Kravchuk told The Moscow Times. Forty percent of the 694,000 tons of poultry the United States exported to Russia last year was shipped from Florida, the paper said.

``We believe it's wholly unjustified,'' Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said of the ban. ``We're working with the U.S. FDA and other federal agencies to convince Russia all of our agricultural products are absolutely safe.''

The recent anthrax cases involve anthrax spores sent in the mail. There have been no indications that animals have been targeted.

McElroy noted that Florida soil and climate conditions are not conducive to anthrax. The last anthrax livestock outbreak was in 1951, he added.

The U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council is ``waiting anxiously for explanations from the Russian veterinary services on how the ban will be applied,'' Albert Davleyev, director of the Russian representative office, told Interfax News Agency Tuesday.

Davleyev also said it was unclear whether the ban applied to shipments that left the United States two to three weeks ago, before the first anthrax case was reported.

Last year, 18 cases of anthrax were registered in Russia, according to the Associated Press. An outbreak of anthrax also affected cattle last month in the remote Siberian region of Tuva and 36 people were undergoing preventive treatment, Interfax reported.

Glen Hambry, professor of animal science at the University of Florida, said an extended ban could affect the price and sales of animal products. Worse still, other countries could use the anthrax threat to gain leverage in trade policy with the United States.

``If they can find a legitimate excuse to ban imports, they'll do that,'' he said.

Florida ranks about 10th in the United States for the number of beef cattle, but calves are mostly shipped to the Midwest to be fattened and slaughtered, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And although Florida produces more than 7 billion chickens annually and is the nation's 16th largest broiler-producing state, most chickens are consumed within the United States, said Aubrey Bordelon, a statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to U.S. Customs, $30.5 million of poultry were exported to Russia through Tampa last year. Most of that originated outside Florida.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services does not track exports of meat products as these items are likely to have been produced in other states, McElroy said.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001