From: Howard Hill -- sent: To: Cc: Subject: This morning I have spoken twice to the provider oi the initial information, as i first needed his permission to release it, or part or it. His response was as follows: at the present time, he did not expect that I would pass the details on to a third party; the brief details were intended to confirm to me that substantial files exist within the records held by the . the brief details were relayed to him by his assistant in Moscow and he does not Want me to release anything until he has had an opportunity to review the extent oi the information held, assess its current status and to consider the likely impact on any other issue which may be relevant at this time; --He has agreed to talk to me again by 23rd February, or sooner; this represents a significant development but i cannot say at this time what he would be prepared to release, what the circumstances would be (otticially unofficially) and what the terms (it any) may be? cooperation with the service can be problematical as the circumstances are rarely transparent or simple; nevertheless, he has been reliable in the past and is senior enough to be able to make a decision to assist; separately, called yadim, He apologised for not juining us for dinner but contirrned he was interested by yesterday morning's conversations and wants to develop the dialogue with you; -had relayed to him that part ot last night's conversation which had iocused on a meeting discussion with the investigator and the discussion relating to a future unofficial meeting, He is in favour with both; He repeated that it would be helpful to have some farm ofofficial request on file - purely tor reasons at procedure and pratocol; we have agreed to continue the dialogue between us; additionally, it was agreed we should try to meet Ruslan Fomichev througl- Vadim believes he could be a key witness toryou and that seems to tie in with the latest news trom our my source; i will contact-- today and will ask him to step up his attempts to assist us with this. I am continuing to pursue a iurther possible route. Thank you, Howard The information contained in this message, and any attachments, may contain confidential and/or privileged material. lt is intended solely for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by person(s) or entities other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. lf you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Meridian Advisory Limited reserves the right to monitor and record e-mail messages sent to and from this address for the purposes of investigating or detecting any unauthorised use of its system and ensuring its effective operation. Meridian Advisory Limited is a Limited Liability Company registered in England and Wales with registered number 07908543. o