January 2, 1997
by MICHAEL O. ALLEN, Daily News Staff Writer
Mayor Giuliani yesterday accused the State Department of dragging out its probe of Sunday’s slugfest between city cops and diplomats from Russia and Belarus.
In his latest lashing over the envoys’ invocation of diplomatic immunity, the mayor demanded that federal officials immediately back the two city cops involved in the Manhattan clash.
“If this was an American diplomat, rather than all of this fatuous discussion that is going on I would expect that our government would say that the diplomat acted improperly, he should apologize,” the mayor said.
“We certainly can sit by and pretend as if the police officers acted improperly,” he continued. “They didn’t. They did a good job.”
The mayor said he planned to fire off a letter today asking the Russian and Belarus consuls to remove their two envoys and send them back to their countries.
“We don’t need people here who, behind diplomatic immunity, are abusing police officers,” Giuliani said.
The diplomats, Boris Obnossov, 43, of Russia, and Yuri Nicklaevich Orange, 50, of Belarus, were taken into custody following a fracas with two 20th Precinct cops who tried to ticket their cars for parking too close to a hydrant on the upper West Side.
Cops said Obnossov appeared drunk and refused to present identification when they ordered him out of his car. Orange then got out of the vehicle and punched one of the officers.
Both consulates have disputed police accounts, saying the cops dragged Obnossov from his car and beat him after he showed his identification.
A statement issued in Moscow said police broke his hand, smashed his glasses and tore his clothes before handcuffing him and taking him to the stationhouse, where he was detained for 30 minutes.
The two men, first secretaries at their nations’ missions to the United Nations, went free after invoking diplomatic immunity.
Original Story Date: 01/02/97
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