Alleged Russian arms dealer to be extradited to U.S.
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On the other hand, soon after the Appeals Court's ruling, there were fierce responses from Russian government.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Thailand's ambassador to Russia, Chalermpol Thanchitt, to protest against the ruling.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that the decision is politically motivated. Lavrov said the ruling was influenced by "very strong outside pressure'' but stopped short of mentioning the U.S.
"We regret the, in my opinion, illegal and politically motivated decision, made today by the Thai appeals court," he was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
Moreover, Russian foreign minister also vowed that Russian government will continue to do anything they can to repatriate Bout.
Bout, a 43-year-old Russian ex-air force pilot, was said to have inspired the Hollywood film "Lord of War" starring Nicolas Cage. He was arrested at a Bangkok luxury hotel in March 2008 in a sting operation orchestrated by the U.S. agents posing as arms buyers of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death, allegedly supplied weapons to some of the world's worst conflicts including Afghanistan, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan, according to the United Nations.
Bout was subsequently indicted in the U.S. for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to FARC, conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill U.S. officers or employees as well as conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. The Russian could face maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
His wife, Alla Bout, said on Friday after Thai Appeals Court's sentence that the decision is unjust and obviously political case and that the American government put a lot of pressure on the Thai court, Voice of America reported.
Knowing well that the matter draws high interest from both U.S. and Russian sides, Prime Minister Abhisit is trying to convince both countries that Thailand will handle it in a straightforward manner. He also admitted that Thai government felt the heat.
"We must admit that Thailand is in the middle. With this kind of situation, pressure naturally occurs all the time and what we have to do is to handle it in a transparent way," he was quoted by MCOT as saying on Saturday.
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