Regards, Ivan
Posted on 05/04/2006 10:37:16 PM PDT by MadIvan
DICK CHENEY, the US Vice-President, accused Russia yesterday of eroding a decade of democratic reform and blackmailing Europe with its energy reserves, in America’s sharpest rebuke to President Putin.
Speaking at a summit of eight former Eastern bloc countries that have turned against Moscow, Mr Cheney said that the Kremlin should embrace democracy or risk harming relations with more countries.
“America and Europe want to see Russia in the category of healthy democracies, and yet opponents of democracy in Russia are seeking to reverse the progress of the past decade,” he said. “In many areas of civil society — from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties — the Government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people.”
The speech caused outrage in Russia, with some senior figures accusing Mr Cheney of trying to undermine Mr Putin before the G8 summit in St Petersburg in July. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s deputy spokesman, said that the speech was incomprehensible and “full of a subjective evaluation of us and of the processes that are going on in Russia”.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, said: “Cheney’s speech looks like a provocation and interference in Russia’s internal affairs in terms of its content, form and place.”
Mr Cheney was addressing leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Georgia — all former Warsaw Pact countries that are at varying stages of integration with the EU and Nato. He voiced particular support for Ukraine, criticising Russia for cutting off gas supplies to Kiev in January in what was widely seen in the West as punishment for the Orange Revolution of 2004.
“No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolise transportation,” he said. His comments reflect the growing tensions between the White House and the Kremlin. With his own ratings low, President Bush is under pressure to take a harder line with Mr Putin, who has reasserted central control over media, parliament, business and regional government since 2000. Some US politicians are even calling for Russia’s expulsion from the G8.
Mr Cheney’s remarks will infuriate the Kremlin just when the US needs Russia’s support against Iran.
Vyacheslav Nikonov, of the Politika Fund think-tank, told The Times that Mr Cheney’s speech could lead Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, to reject Chevron and Conoco-Phillips, the US oil companies, when it chooses partners to develop the huge Shtokman gasfield. “There’ll be a tough reaction,” he said. “If you enter the path of escalation, it can lead any place, even to a new Cold War.”
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
This should put liberals right back to room temperature.
Mr. Putin is just trying to keep qualified people in place to run his government. In our country we get to elect a bunch of incompetent morons that can't even build a wall to prevent an invasion.
“America and Europe want to see Russia in the category of healthy democracies, and yet opponents of democracy in Russia are seeking to reverse the progress of the past decade,” he said. “In many areas of civil society — from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties — the Government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people.”
While I completely agree with him on this, the same exact statement applies to China as well....only more so. Yet we kiss their ass at every turn.
Sod them. Let's ditch the pretences and phony politesse. Cheney is right and it's time we told the Russians that this is not going to be tolerated.
Regards, Ivan
Right Mr. Gorbachev! You aren't as thick as the brick that rest of your vodka swilling commie-comrade traitors are!
I think Putin is feeling his imperial oats. Tsarist or communist, Russia has always been an imperial power with evil designs on her neighbors.
Regards, Ivan
Putin's a dyed-in-the-wool commie. Always has and always will. He's just waiting for a weakness in America before he and his new friends in China pounce on it.
With a makeover and image team...a modern commie. Joseph Stalin V2.0.
Russia is NOT a friend of the U.S., although their women I wouldn't mind befriending.
I think there are new laws regarding that.
Seriously, Russian women are incredible. Most of them have nuclear engineering or physics degrees in their 20s.
Haven't we been sending Russia Billions to dismantle their nukes?
Are they ever going to pay back the US the 30-50 Billion we have given them in the last 10-14 years?
Seriously though, I think I read somewhere that the government has put some sort of extra hoops into Russian mail order brides. I can't remember exactly what it was though.
And the "Pot Kettle Black" Award goes to...
Regards, Ivan
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