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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Belarusian KGB Confirms Report About U.S. Spy Ring
The Belarusian KGB has confirmed a report aired on March 23 by Belarusian television that a U.S. spy ring was smashed in Belarus, Belapan reported on March 25. "Everything that was broadcast by First National Channel is true," KGB spokesman Valery Nadtachayeu told Belapan. The same day, KGB chief Yury Zhadobin said that no one was arrested in connection with the spy ring. "We are doing prevention work now. We are probing to what extent this or that article of law, this or that provision was violated," he said. "The fact that they are trying to dictate their rules to us on our own territory...is unacceptable," he added. According to the report, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Minsk organized a ring involving some 10 Belarusian citizens who passed to the United States information "for the use to the detriment of Belarus." The information was passed to "an FBI officer who worked at the U.S. Embassy," the report said. It also said that almost all members of the group were arrested on March 13 at a "secret address half a kilometer from the U.S. diplomatic mission." The report named U.S. Embassy officers Bernard Nixon and Curt Finley as being involved in the spy ring. Jonathan Moore, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, denied the report. "We have no spies operating in Belarus," Moore said.
