Russia offers 10 mln dollars in Iraq diplomat killers hunt

MOSCOW, June 30 (Reuters) Russia has offered a 10 million dollars reward for help finding the killers of four Russian diplomats abducted in Iraq, the head of Russia's FSB federal security service said today.

This week Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered state security agents to hunt down and destroy those responsible.

''In return for information leading to a result, Russia'sNational Antiterrorist Committee will pay a reward of 10 million dollars,'' FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev said in televised comments.

This compares with the 25 million dollars the United States put on the heads of Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Saddam was captured in 2003, seven months after he was toppled. Zarqawi was killed three weeks ago.

The Russian reward offer was widely relayed in Iraq on Arab television channels.

An al Qaeda-led group posted video footage on the Internet on Sunday showing the killing of three men it said were Russian hostages. Russia has confirmed all four were killed.

Russia, together with France and Germany, did not support the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, arguing for more time to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Russia's parliament has approved a statement laying blame for the diplomats' deaths at the door of the ''occupying powers''.

Russia already offered a 10 million dollars bounty for its most wanted man, Chechen militant Shamil Basayev, who said he planned the 2004 Beslan school siege. So far he is still at large.

Reuters SHB GC1917