Posted on 12/03/2004 11:34:32 AM PST by Tailgunner Joe
[India News]: New Delhi, Dec 3 : Asserting that the Iraq war had hit the anti-terror campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the new US administration to take lessons while shaping its foreign policy.
Arguing strongly against a unipolar world, Putin said in an interview with The Hindu published Friday that differences over the US-led Iraq war had significantly slowed down the global war against terror.
In his interview, coinciding with his arrival in New Delhi, Putin said terrorism could only be solved through multilateral cooperation under the UN auspices and hoped the US had learnt its lessons from Iraq.
"Differences over Iraq, and they were, I would remind you, rather considerable and existed between the leading participants of the international anti-terrorist coalition, led to a significant slowdown of the development of international anti-terrorist interaction," Putin said.
Recalling fears about the sovereignty and security of countries in the wake of the US-led offensive in Iraq - described as the "Iraq model"-- the Russian president said the Iraq developments had proved that unilateral actions were counter-productive.
"We have repeatedly called our American partners' attention to this reality. And eventually they realised the need to reach a political settlement in Iraq using the UN mechanisms. I believe that the new administration will undoubtedly bear in mind 'Iraqi lessons' when determining its foreign policy."
Putin said he had taken the "greatest pleasure" to congratulate US President George W. Bush for his re-election and was convinced that his second term would be fruitful for bilateral ties.
"This does not mean that there are no differences between the US and Russia; however, we resolve them through dialogue taking into account our countries' long-term interests."
It was of crucial importance that the activities aimed at combating "the terrorist international" be reduced to a common denominator.
He said actions taken by the world community to counteract terrorism should start from international law, and be concerted and united.
"I do not think it is possible, in principle, to create a unipolar system of international relations," he asserted, pointing out that interdependence of states and interdependence of national economies was growing.
No single state, even the most powerful one, he continued, could cope alone with terrorism, numerous local conflicts, social diseases and thus was not able to provide global stability and progress.
Answering a question on the "double standards" in the fight against terrorism that both India and Russia have criticised, Putin concurred.
"Providing safe haven and support to terrorists, their accomplices and sponsors actually serves as a justification and, indeed, encouragement of their crimes," he said, citing examples.
"Such steps undermine the unity and mutual trust of the participants of the anti-terrorist front."
He reminded that according to the UN, states were obliged to verify, when providing asylum, that the person in question was not related to terrorism.
"However, somebody influenced by stereotypes or - which is particularly dangerous - hoping to get questionable political dividends, prefers to turn a blind eye to apparent facts."
Putin said India-Russia relations should not be affected by changes in government.
"I would like to stress that the current level of Russian-Indian partnership cannot and should not depend on internal transformations, which are quite natural to democratic states," he stated.
"Our countries are already interacting along a clear-cut line, and all the leading political actors of India, including, certainly, the (Congress), have made a valuable contribution to its development. We have no doubt that the new Indian leadership will continue to pursue that course."
Lesson #1: read my tagline.
BTW Vlad, How goes the fight against your terrorists?
Lesson #1, When "allies" behave in ways that seem strange, assume corruption and bribery are the cause. A = A.
Yeah, I hope we learn Iraqi lessons too. We should never have waited so long for U.N. approval that never came; we should have gone in whenever the hell we thought it would have been best.
Lesson #2: If corruption is not the cause, assume jealousy and resentment are the culprit.
Lesson #3: Only after Lesson #1 and Lesson #2 are found lacking, should one reconsider the original position. (Note: We haven't had to use Lesson #3 in over 20 years.)
Don't trust your friends?
Yes, Vlad, we learned our lesson:
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
We do not need the UN.
terrorists solved by the UN?? What a crock. The UN has terrorists as its state representatives!!! Wake up Sirgay, terrorists killed 300 innocent children in Chechyna and the UN did not do anything and is not going to.
1. Overthrow despotic, anti-US Baathist regime - CHECK
2. Bring Saddam Hussein and his clan to justice - CHECK
3. Provide the framework for free election - CHECK
4. Establish a democracy smack dab in the heart of the middle-east between Iran and Saudi Arabia - SCHED. FOR 01/31/2005
Main lesson I see here is, don't listen to the scaredy kats who don't have the vision to do great things.
There must be a massive excess of bull excrement in Russia, because Putin is throwing it in every direction..."hindered the war on terrorism?? WHAT WAR ON TERROR MR. PUTIN??? -- WHO ELSE IN THE WORLD IS PUTTING THEIR ALL INTO FIGHTING TERROR???? RUSSIA????
What next is going to come out of this guy's mouth??
Putin means "multi faceted mouth" in Russian.
This fellow is a communist who thinks he can say anything, regardless of how contradictory it is.
China and Russia are trying a new system: totalitarian pseudo-capitalism.
Yeah, he can't even deal with Chechnya, a small region adjacent to Russia, and he's gonna lecture us on how to fight a way halfway around the world from us?
Putin despises democracy and the rule of law in Russia and in countries he'd like to adopt as vassals. His scam to steal Ukraine's sovereignty through rigged elections failed. Putin could take some lessons in foreign affairs. Such as, our status as sole superpower does not oblige us to take advice from leaders who were in business with terrorists like Saddam. We do not need an affirmative action program to boost the self-esteem of the "also rans" and failures in the world. We shall not sink so they can rise.
It's really just Fascism. When you get right down to it. Minus the jew-killing. For now.
Putin is absolutely the worst leader, part spook and part criminal. Needs to go bigtime.
This comes from the guy whose former empire got bogged down in Afghanistan for years and lost 10s of thousands of troops there.
The U.S. went through the place in a matter of weeks, the locals have now elected a democratic government, and things are so peaceful we hardly even here about news from there.
So who should be giving advice to who?
Yes, U.S. can't trust fence sitting countries. And the U.N. is defunct. Now, What say you Mr. Putin?
Are you still pulling for this guy's stooge in the Ukraine?
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