Ex US Ambassador says it was stupid to ask Americans to detain Russians in the UAE

Former US Ambassador to Qatar Patrick Theros qualified as a stupid step the possible assistance of the American secret services to Qatar in detaining Russian citizens on suspicion of killing ex-President of "independent" Inchkeria (the name given by Chechen separatists to their republic) Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev.

If we specially helped them in this matter and then admitted it, then it is simply a stupid thing. This violates all rules of the game which I know, said Patrick Theros in the interview with RIA Novosti, commenting on the words by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer.

Earlier Pifer said in the interview with the newspaper Vremya Novostei that the American side had given an insignificant technical aid to Qatar during the operation for arresting the officers of the Russian secret services in Qatar.

At the same time, according to Theros, he has no information that the American side helped Qatar during detaining the Russian citizens.

Theros believes that Russia can use diplomatic channels to release its citizens.

Three officers of the Russian secret services were arrested in Qatar on February 18 on the charge of being involved in the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev. One of them, a diplomat, was later freed.

Presently, the arrested are kept in prison in Qatar. The authorities of the emirate insist on bringing them to court.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that Moscow insisted on giving the right to the detained Russians in Qatar to return home.

"Our position on this score was stated by former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. It is still in force. We demanded that the Qatar authorities should give the possibility to the Russian citizens to return home," Sergei Lavrov said.