27 February 2004	Friday	06 Muharram 1425

DOHA, Feb 26: Qatar has charged two Russians suspected of involvement in the assassination of former Chechen President Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev and released a third Russian with a diplomatic passport , a Qatari official said on Thursday.

Russia said the three men detained in Qatar were members of its special services and called the arrests a hostile step by a state which connived with terrorists.

Russian Foreign Minister met Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani on Tuesday to request the release of all three. Qatar said last week it was holding two suspects for interrogation over a car blast which killed Yandarbiyev, a former guerilla leader and Chechen president linked by Moscow to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group. -Reuters