Bush says Cold War captivity one of great wrongs

NY Times ^ | May 7, 2005 | REUTERS

[neverdem]

Filed at 1:34 p.m. ET

RIGA (Reuters) - President Bush denounced Soviet Cold War rule of eastern Europe as ``one of the greatest wrongs of history'' on Saturday in a jab at Moscow two days before celebrations of the 1945 victory over Hitler.

Bush, visiting Latvia before the ceremonies in Moscow marking 60 years since the end of World War II in Europe, also held up the three Baltic states as examples of democratic reform since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He said the end of the war brought liberty from fascism for many in Germany but meant the ``iron rule of another empire'' for the Baltic states -- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- and nations from Poland to Romania.

Bush admitted the United States shared some responsibility for the Cold War division of Europe after the 1945 Yalta accord between Russia, the United States and Britain.

``Once again, when powerful governments negotiated, the freedom of small nations was somehow expendable,'' he said. ``Yet this attempt to sacrifice freedom for the sake of stability left a continent divided and unstable.

``The captivity of millions in central and eastern Europe will be remembered as one of the greatest wrongs of history,'' he said in a speech at Riga's guildhall.

The three Baltic states joined both NATO and the European Union last year.

Bush's visit to Riga has angered Russia by reviving tensions about the Soviet occupation when Moscow is focusing on celebrating the end of World War II, a conflict that cost 27 million Soviet lives.

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed calls by the Baltic states for an apology for Soviet rule and accused them on Saturday of trying to cover up past Nazi collaboration.

BUSH MEETS PUTIN

The differing versions of history may make for frictions when Bush meets Putin in Moscow on Sunday and Monday.

Putin insists the Red Army was a liberator, not an oppressor, of Eastern Europe.

``Our people not only defended their homeland, they liberated 11 European countries,'' Putin said on Saturday after laying a wreath at a monument to Russia's war dead.

In a recent state of the nation speech he bemoaned the demise of the Soviet Union as ``the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.'' He has also said Washington should not try to export its own brand of democracy.

Bush said Russia's leaders had made ``great progress'' in the past 15 years.

``In the long run it is the strength of Russian democracy that will determine the greatness of Russia and I believe the Russian people value their freedom and will settle for no less,'' he said.

``As we mark a victory of six decades ago, we are mindful of a paradox. For much of Germany, defeat led to freedom. For much of Eastern and Central Europe, victory brought the iron rule of another empire.''

He also held up the Baltics as examples of successful shifts to democracy, a theme he stressed for nations including Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Belarus.

``These are extraordinary times that we're living in and the three Baltic countries are capable of helping Russia and other countries in this part of the world see the benefits of what it means to live in a free society,'' Bush told a news conference.

But Bush did not back pleas by the Baltic countries for an apology from Russia. ``My hope is that we are able to move on,'' he said.

He later flew to the Netherlands where he will spend Saturday night.

The presidents of Lithuania and Estonia will boycott the May 9 ceremonies in Moscow. Georgia's president will also stay away, but Latvia's president will attend.

All three Baltic nations, whose combined population is now about 6 million, were occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 after a pact between Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia which divided up spheres of influence in East Europe.

In 1941, German troops occupied the Baltics and remained there until the end of the war when Soviet troops returned and ruled with an iron fist. The collapse of communism enabled the Baltic states to win their independence in 1991.

Bush also urged free elections in Belarus, which shares borders with Lithuania and Latvia, and ruled out any secret U.S deal with Moscow allowing President Alexander Lukashenko to remain in power. ``We don't make secret deals,'' he said.

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga wrote in the Washington Post on Saturday: ``Russia would gain immensely by ... expressing its genuine regret for the crimes of the Soviet regime.

``Until Russia does so ... its relations with its immediate neighbors will remain uneasy at best.''

But writing in the French daily Le Figaro, Putin dismissed calls for an apology and accused the Baltic countries of trying to justify their own government's ``discriminatory and reprehensible policy'' toward their Russian-speaking populations.

Police detained about 20 protesters from Latvia's big Russian minority after they hurled smoke bombs in a demonstration against Bush.

``Bush is a horror,'' said protest leader Beness Aija. Posters in another demonstration said: ``Stop the war in Iraq.''

But many Latvians welcome Bush. ``It's important to recognize the struggle that our fathers had against communists and the Soviet Union,'' said Ugis Senbergs, a 50-year-old architect.

[RusIvan]

These are official U.N. data, find then in the Internet.==

No sir. In all civilized world (you are part of it, isn't it?) it is accepted practice when ACCUSER proves his accusation with facts. Otherwise that "accusor" is just petty slenderman.

SO you have a chance to prove your accusation about 2 mlns of Poles sent to Sibiria by russians (if you say even UN has "statistic"). If not then you are petty lier.

[snowsislander]

The irony of it is that he isn't even a really good foreign policy president. He openly supports the anti-American Law of the Sea Treaty, FTAA and other measures that give more of our sovereignty to global governance bodies. LOST effectively gives the UN tax and regulatory powers independent of our control.

While President Bush's position on "free" trade is not the same as mine, that does not change my estimation of his stature in foreign policy nor of his accomplishments. I think it likely that history will record President Bush as one of our great presidents.

As to LOST, well, I wish it get lost, and President Bush's support of it is a blemish on his record.

[RusIvan]

You know why i don't want to talk to you? Because denying such gruesome Soviet crimes, you're actually the same as those who did it.==

m-68 i TRY AGAIN. I hope you understand english. I didn't agree Katyn. See my above posters. Not only you anut any independent reader of FR may understand that I don't deny Katyn.
I just recalled you that it toolk place in 1940 not in 1944-45 when soviet liberation of Europe happened. You agrreed.

SO I conclude your patetism toward speach of Putin who talked about 1944-45 are far from target.

Then now I ask you AGAIN please prove your accusation done in prevous posts that "2 mlns Poles was sent by russians into Sibiria" during and after ww2. Prove with facts but not with hotter propaganda rethoric.
I hope this request is fair since you are accuser not me.

[RusIvan]

I didn't agree Katyn.== I didn't deny:)) sorry. Now chew me for my mistype you have your chance now:)).

[RusIvan]

You can't defend your prewar lands in the East because we murdered almost half of all Poles living there, we sent them to Gulag so those lands are no more Polish, only Ukrainians and others are living there now."==

Half poles was "murdered". It is your 700 thousands we "murdered":)). So where are graves for 700000 poles?

Other half where? Still there in eatern "polish" lands? Or let me guess. Of cuase!! Other half is those "2 mlns which was sent to Sibiria":)).

SO russians "depopulated" western Ukarine and Bellorussia of poles then resettled them with ukranians and bellorussians:))).
It is one more "never spoken terrible crime of russian occupants of polish lands":)). But ukranians and bellorussians are our co-committers. Am I right?:)

SO You continue accusasions without any facts. You are anti-russian propagandist lier. I'm very disappointed:(.

[RusIvan]

Buzuluck, Poland==

Where is this Buzuluck in Poland? Show me it on map please?

Cross carved by knife is pretty bloody. On photo it is more like tattoo.

[RusIvan]

I don't know where it was, sorry. It must have been a small village.==

I think photo is staged. There are no Buzuluck in Poland and even in Bellorussian and Ukraine.
It is probably children from Oswentsim(Auswitz). Crosses added by photo editor.

You know m_68 I agree that commies was bad people but even them didn't send children into camps. There are no such facts. They sent children into goverment orfanages.

I just want to add. Commies was bad enough that we can diminish ourselves to direct lies with purpose to demonize them. They are mostly dead anyway.
Let us supports solid facts not to go to propaganda. I don't like any propaganda. Pro- same as anti-.

The most purpose of any propaganda is to dupe people.

SO you words about "700 poles murdered and 2 mlns sent to Sibiria during and after ww2" is propaganda also.
As I said I'm from Sibiria myself. I never saw or heard about sent polish citizen there.

[hosepipe]

[ `Our people not only defended their homeland, they liberated 11 European countries,'' Putin said on Saturday after laying a wreath at a monument to Russia's war dead. ]

And during the same period American democrats "Liberated" at least a trillion dollars from the american people.. for programs that didn't and havn't worked and STILL don't work..

As the soviets "liberated" about 50 million people of their lives.. during that time..

The soviets are such peace and freedom loving people AIN'T THEY... How do you know a Russian is LYING.. "their lips are moving"..

[jb6]

ms_68 has a long term problem with the truth. They are not acquainted.

[jb6]

However, my intention was to say that even the most gruesome and barbarian Nazi regime DIDN'T MURDER SO MANY OFFICERS OF THE PARTICULAR ENEMY ARMY

You need to lay off. The Nazis went through Czech (after the local Reichmarshal was assasinated), Poland, Russia, Yugoslavia, Greece like bad Mexican food through a digestive system: cleaning out anyone and everyone who could resist and saving the slaughter of the sheeple for later: usually as mass slave labor: Ousland Arbeiten.

[jb6]

The main difference is: Soviet Communism was so assine it couldn't have survived for the long run. Menshovik Trotskyte National Socialism could.

[jb6]

East half - stolen by Russians

Which was previously stolen by the Poles. Brave guy, why don't you go and tell the Ukrainians and Belaruss to give it back, while you are clearning out of German Salasia, Posen, West & Central Prussia.

[hinckley buzzard]

this is the first time a U.S. President has EVER acknowledged that the decisions taken at Yalta were immoral and wrong.

It is a consistent theme that the President has evolved, the self-defeating nature of our attempts to maintain "stability" at the expense of freedom. It is truly an upending of seventy years of State Department crapola. The media flunkies, I'm sure, have no clue as to what is really hitting them. They will whine about hurting Pootie-Poot's feelings, but this is so much more far-sighted and transformative than they can even grasp.

It appears that the real Bush Doctrine has crystallized into a truly revolutionary doctrine.

[jb6]

Grzegorz is incapable of creative thought, his EU masters don't allow it.