Russia Rejects U.S. Criticism of Planned Reforms

Reuters ^ | 15SEP04 | Reuters

[familyop]

ASTANA (Reuters) - Russia rejected on Wednesday U.S. criticism of sweeping political changes proposed by President Vladimir Putin, saying this was strictly Moscow's business.

"First of all, the processes that are under way in Russia are our internal affair," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, referring to comments by Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Lavrov, speaking in Kazakhstan on the sidelines of a meeting of ex-Soviet states, said Washington had no right to impose its own model

of democracy on anyone else.

"And it is at least strange that, while talking about a certain 'pulling back', as he (Powell) put it, on some of the democratic reforms in the Russian Federation, he tried to assert yet one more time the thought that democracy can only be copied from someone's model," he said.

"We, for our part, do not comment on the U.S. system of presidential elections, for instance."

In an interview with Reuters, Powell said Putin's proposed changes to Russian electoral law was "pulling back on some of the democratic reforms." He pledged to raise his concerns with the Russian leadership.

Putin on Monday proposed ending direct election of Russia's regional governors and having candidates instead put forward by the president and approved by local assemblies. He also called for an end to voting in constituencies for parliamentary elections, a common means for opposition politicians to win seats in the legislature.

Putin presented the reforms as vital for a national drive to defeat terrorism in the aftermath of the bloody school siege this month in which more than 320 people, half of them children, were killed. His critics say he is exploiting the bloodshed to roll back the democratic gains of post-Soviet Russia.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[Agrarian]

Powell has to say what he has to say. Putin has to do what he has to do. Both have valid points; neither would probably begrudge the other, truth to be told. Both hopefully know that they are allies in the same struggle with radical Islam -- and in that business, Russia has had quite a few centuries more experience than has the US.

[CWOJackson]

Putin is a dangerous man, an ex-KGB agent who has been publicly decrying the fall of the Soviet Union for several years now. Seems he's manufactured his excuse to make his dreams of Soviet empire rise from the ashes.

It wasn't for nought that Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the Evil Empire...and it's not dead.

[EGPWS]

Lavrov, speaking in Kazakhstan on the sidelines of a meeting of ex-Soviet states, said Washington had no right to impose its own model of democracy on anyone else.

We do however have the right through democracy and our status as the ONLY superpower existing in the world to say, "You made your bed, now lay in it", and don't call us we'll call you!

If that is what you so desire.

Someday soon, Iraq will have the same attitude toward Russia.

[familyop]

...well said, Chief. Given the recent misinformation that's been going around on that topic, here's a list of links that is growing for anyone else who's interested in learning more.

Powell Concerned by Putin Political Changes
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=3&u=/nm/20040914/ts_nm/russia_usa_dc_3

Russian threats alarm Georgia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3655412.stm

Putin uses war on terrorism to tighten grip on democracy [No more elections for governors.]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/14/wruss14.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/14/ixnewstop.html

Garry Kasparov – Baltic Development Forum Key Note Address
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1215864/posts

Poisoned by Putin
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1300414,00.html

Russian newspaper delivers some bitter truths to Putin
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1213460/posts

08 September 2004 16:50
Russia confirms further delays to Iran`s nuke plant
GatewayToRussia
http://www.gateway2russia.com/art/Unrubricated/Russia%20confirms%20further%20delays%20to%20Irans%20nuke%20plant_251653.html

Russian FM To Israel: Chechnya No, Palestine and Iranian Nukes Yes
Ariel Natan Pasko
TruthNews
8SEP04
http://www.truthnews.net/world/2004090037.htm

Russia defends arms
sales to Iran
Moscow says U.S. objects only out of self-interest
[and Syria]
http://www.freedomdomain.com/Templemount/5_30a.html

Sep. 8, 2004 20:08 | Updated Sep. 8, 2004 22:27
Iran recruits 'human shield' for nuclear reactor
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1094613507272

Moscow 'vehemently' opposes attacks on Iraq
Sees Saddam's terror-sponsor state as 'long-term partner'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25619

Russian Delegation in Baghdad With Putin Message for Saddam Hussein
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3918d6aa328c.htm

Russians Respect Reason For Terrorism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210347/posts

Israel Tries to "Win Russia Over": Report [Intel Barf from Islam Barf: One man's terrorist...]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1210553/posts

Disregard for Human Life (Was Putin referring to the USA as the hostile foreign powers?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1209036/posts

Putin may be worse than we think
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a3a04c1f115e8.htm

[CWOJackson]

Excellent list...and should be at least the start of reguired reading for those who don't believe Putin is a threat to the United States.

[familyop]

BTW, did Ivan ever DX (upgrade from) those silly one piece suits for NBC warfare? I hear that most of his materiel is rotting and strength, demoralizing.

...think it's doubtful that he'll try to get in our way when or if we do something about Iran?

[CWOJackson]

I doubt he would have much trouble obtaining the suits he needs from his new allies, France and Germany. I doubt they would have much problem with providing Putin with some NATO gear...they sold prohibited materials to Iraq.

[familyop]

On the NBC thing, I was talking about those one-piece, rubber NBC suits. ...poke a hole anywhere in one, and Ivan chokes.

[CWOJackson]

I'm sure, but there are stockpiles of very good protective suits under NATO control...much of which is pre-positioned in Germany.

[familyop]

It is true that we shouldn't trust France to withhold gear from enemies.

We can still beat 'em in an NBC fight, though. We have better transportation than the old M-113s, although we still have a lot of those in good shape, too. Russia can't afford to get anywhere near enough vehicles to match ours, and there were complaints over there that theirs are pretty much rotten and not sealable.

So our mobility should be a lot better. ...a lot more little US posts over there now, too. Tactical placements are far better than the old days of the Germany posts.

[familyop]

"I'm sure, but there are stockpiles of very good protective suits under NATO control...much of which is pre-positioned in Germany."

That's something I didn't know until now.

I'm all for diplomacy when it is likely to work. But in Russia's case, IMO, our Admin and State should heat things up before the Euros sell much real mobility to Ivan.

[CWOJackson]

The thing that concerns me is an Axis of Russian, Germany and France...who have been playing kissie face for several years now. If all three acted at the same time our forces in Europe would be in a tight spot and surrounded...and I don't trust NATO to lift a finger in a scenario like that.

[coconutt2000]

I don't believe that Putin is a danger to the United States... I do believe that his vision of Russia will be a future danger to the United States.

[CWOJackson]

Putin is the person restoring the Soviet Union, that in and of itself is a threat.

[coconutt2000]

If not Putin it would be someone else. He has a lot of backing in his government right now.

[CWOJackson]

"If not Putin it would be someone else. He has a lot of backing in his government right now."

Yes, and his government is almost totally all ex-Soviet party officials like him who miss the good old days. You know, the same people we fought a 50 year cold war with.

[familyop]

"The thing that concerns me is an Axis of Russian, Germany and France.."

...another reason our Admin. and State should get things going quicker to put some pressure on them, unless there's another way.

We certainly need more of a buildup, IMO. I was only a low ranking AI (Hotel--assistant instructor in Reserve schools, temp. corporal only while assigned to those, as my unit TO&Es didn't allow for corporals), but I ended up leading most of the teaching, and most of that in leadership schools. So there was a lot of interesting material to learn that most others like me didn't get.

[familyop]

Also, BTW, the KGB media sympathizers over here are already at it, saying that Georgia is an Islamist State. That's not true, though.

I'll dig the info from the Factbook here...

[CWOJackson]

I'm not too sure what we can do alone. For almost 50 years our soldiers held the line keeping West German from being swallowed by the Soviet empire. If the Russian government had attempted to do this ten years ago Germany would be screaming their heads off along with most of Europe...not France (France removed itself from the NATO alliance for the most part in the late 50's).

Since Putin has come to power the German government has become saturated with old line Communists from the east, and Putin has courted Germany and France heavily. Keep in mind, both Germany and France thought they would be "the" power in the EU and that hasn't happened. Russia could tip that difference.