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WORLD NEWS Thursday 16 November 2017
US: Russia security Germany:
firm duly screened

to guard embassy Merkel dodges coal deadline at climate talks

By V. ISACHENKOV
Associated Press be among the most heavily
MOSCOW (AP) — The U.S. polluting fossil fuels.
State Department said “Coal, especially lignite,
Wednesday it has duly must contribute a signifi-
screened a Russian private cant part to achieving
security firm contracted these goals,” Merkel said.
to help guard the U.S. “But what exactly that will
Embassy in Moscow amid be is something we will dis-
reports that it was founded cuss very precisely in the
by a former KGB spy. coming days.”
The State Department said Speaking immediately af-
Wednesday it had “vetted ter her, French President
the company and the Emmanuel Macron said
name of each individual his country was committed
identified or associated to ending the use of coal
with Elite Security with by 2021. The task is made
relevant national and a lot easier for France by
local agencies.” A U.S. the fact that the country
state procurement hardly has any coal-fired
website indicated that plants and still gets most of
September’s contract was its electricity from nuclear
worth $2.8 million. power.
The State Department’s Several other countries,
statement follows a report including Britain, Canada
in the Russian business daily and Italy have also an-
Kommersant, which said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, arrives to attend the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP) nounced they will stop
climate talks in Bonn, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. World leaders arrive at the global
Elite Security was founded climate talks in Germany on Wednesday to give the negotiations a boost going into the final using coal in the coming
by ex-KGB spy Viktor stretch. years. Macron, who has
Budanov and is currently (Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP) styled himself as a climate
run by his son. By FRANK JORDANS for her country to phase we know that we’re still champion since being
Kommersant said Budanov Associated Press out coal-fired power plants missing a big chunk,” elected earlier this year,
was a one-time boss BONN, Germany (AP) — — as she has previously Merkel said. said Europe should fill the
of Vladimir Putin in East German Chancellor An- done with nuclear energy. Speaking to leaders and gap in funding for the U.N.’s
Germany when the Russian gela Merkel, a veteran Merkel, who is sometimes ministers from around the scientific expert panel on
president served as a KGB of global efforts to curb referred to as the “climate world, Merkel said there will climate change left by the
officer there in the 1980s. climate change, disap- chancellor” for her long- be “hard discussions” on U.S. decision to hold back
Budanov also worked with pointed environmental standing efforts to combat the issue in her upcoming its contribution.
British double agent Kim campaigners Wednesday global warming, acknowl- talks with the Green party The administration of U.S.
Philby in Moscow in the by refusing to lay down a edged that Germany’s and the pro-business Free President Donald Trump
1970s, helping provide his deadline for ending her practice of burning coal to Democrats on forming a has said it will cut funding
security. country’s use of coal. generate electricity is one new government. for the panel, known as the
In a 2007 interview, Budanov Green groups and devel- reason it’s not on track to Germany generates about Intergovernmental Panel
described his work with the oping countries had called cut its carbon emissions by 40 percent of its electric- on Climate Change, which
KGB, saying he focused on Merkel to use global cli- 40 percent from 1990 levels ity from coal, including the provides key guidance on
on counterintelligence mate talks in Bonn, Germa- by 2020. light brown variety called global warming to govern-
and providing security ny, this week to set a date “Now, at the end of 2017, lignite that’s considered to ments around the world.q
for Russian diplomatic
missions. Among other
things, he emphasized his Spain:
personal role in exposing
Oleg Gordiyevsky, a KGB Rajoy unworried about Catalonia election meddling
officer posted to the
Soviet Embassy in London
who worked for British By CIARAN GILES ic interference with next Russian President Vladimir rejected the idea that ef-
intelligence. JOSEPH WILSON month’s regional election, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry forts to undermine other
Budanov started working Associated Press but said “people will vote Peskov, dismissed insinua- countries’ elections were
for the KGB in 1966 and MADRID (AP) — Spain’s with complete liberty.” tions of Russian meddling in originating in Russia.
retired from duty in 1992 prime minister said Wednes- Spanish Defense Minister Catalonia as unsubstanti- “A possible explanation is
with the rank of general day he is confident his gov- Maria Dolores de Cospedal ated. that in capitals where such
months after the collapse ernment could handle any said Monday that “many “We consider these accu- accusations come from, be
of the Soviet Union. outside attempts to tamper actions” to mount a mis- sations unfounded,” Pes- it Madrid or London, there
“After Russia’s unjustified with the election he called information campaign to kov said Wednesday, add- are plenty of unresolved
decision to reduce in Catalonia to put down destabilize Catalonia had ing that Spain’s concerns domestic problems,” Lav-
the staff of the mission, an independence push led “come from Russian territo- sounded like a “continu- rov said.
including our local security by separatist politicians. ry” and elsewhere in recent ation of the hysteria in the “They probably engage in
service, we were forced to Prime Minister Mariano Ra- months. U.S. and some other coun- such sensational hysteria
look for alternative ways joy declined to give details However, both Cospedal tries.” in order to deflect voters’
to protect our facilities on what security measures and Rajoy said Spain had Speaking during a visit to attention from the inabil-
and personnel,” the State Spain would take to pre- no indication the Russian Belarus, Russian Foreign ity to solve those domestic
Department said.q vent or counter electron- government was involved. Minister Sergey Lavrov also problems.”q