MOSCOW (Reuters) -- A high-ranking Russian security official praised British and Israeli spies, saying they ranked with Russian agents as the best in the world.

Sergei Ivanov, head of the Security Council which advises President-elect Vladimir Putin, also said spies from the United States had too much money and were spoiled."Ours, British and Israeli," Ivanov, a former worker for the KGB Soviet security police, told the Argumenti i Fakti weekly newspaper when asked which country had the best agents.

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"The Americans have too much money. This leads to an impression that everything in the world can be bought and you don't have to use your head," he said.

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