Free Republic

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,...

MOSCOW, Sept. 14 -- President Vladimir Putin's move to enhance his power in response to a wave of terrorism does not take on the real problem: the corrupt and unreformed security services that produced Putin in the first place, according to many politicians and analysts.

President Vladimir Putin announced radical changes to Russia's democratic institutions yesterday that will give the Kremlin greater power than at any time since the fall of the Soviet Union.In what critics say amounts to a serious setback for Russian democracy, Mr Putin effectively negated the right of citizens to elect a regional representative. Instead, the country's 89 regional governors will be proposed by the president.   President Putin: it will 'make Russia safer and easier to govern' The former KGB spy also announced that seats in the Duma allocated to single-member constituencies will be scrapped in favour of a fully...

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-09/07/article05.shtml Israel Tries to "Win Russia Over": Report Lavrov, right, made a distinction between occupied Palestine and Chechnya (AFP) OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, September 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –Showing appreciation for Israel's sympathy and offers of security assistance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov however drew a line between Chechnya and Palestine, making it clear Arab countries could not be excluded from any alliance against terror. "Chechnya is a part of Russia. But the Palestinian territories are declared by UN resolutions and international legitimacy as occupied lands," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom, according...

A senior Russian nuclear official said on Wednesday that an atomic reactor Moscow is building for Iran, long a stumbling block in Russian-U.S. relations faced further delays. Diplomatic sources and experts in Moscow have said President Vladimir Putin's growing recognition of Washington's concerns over Iran's nuclear programme have pressured the Kremlin into delaying until a United Nations body declares Iran clean. But the Russian official, speaking just days before U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets in Vienna to discuss Iran, said the delay was of a technical nature and had nothing to do with U.S. pressure...

Iran is seeking volunteers to act as a massive human shield around Iran's nuclear reactor in case of a military attack against the facility. About two weeks ago Iran announced its plans build more nuclear power plants with Russian help the in southern port city of Bushehr, ignoring US and Israeli concerns that by-products from the plants could be used to manufacture atomic bombs. The US and Israel strongly suspect Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, but Iran has consistently denied the charges. The Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign is organizing the human shield campaign...

According to the Associated Press, a Russian foreign minister says Moscow respects Lebanese sovereignty. In a veiled swipe at the United States and its United States allies such as Israel, Russia's foreign minister said Sunday his country opposed a Security Council resolution demanding free presidential elections here and a Syrian troop withdrawal out of Moscow's respect for Lebanese sovereignty. Sergey Lavrov made his comments after meeting Lebanese President Emile Lahoud in Beirut, marking his latest high level meeting during a Middle East tour that has included talks with the leaders of Egypt and Syria. He is expected to arrive in...

The Beslan massacre illuminates Russia's weaknesses in the face of a campaign of Chechen terrorism Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a security overhaul sparked by the school hostage crisis, but experts are skeptical that authorities can prevent more terrorism by Chechen separatists.With a death toll of at least 340 in Russia's worst-ever hostage crisis, Putin went on television to admit official failings and vowed to bolster his shaken nation's security.The region's top police official resigned after the three-day hostage siege in Beslan but analysts warned that the series of audacious militant attacks point to a widespread failure of intelligence."The...

BESLAN, Russia (AP) - A shaken President Vladimir Putin made a rare and candid admission of Russian weakness Saturday in the face of an "all-out war" by terrorists after more than 340 people - nearly half of them children - were killed in a hostage-taking at a southern school. Putin went on national television to tell Russians they must mobilize against terrorism. He promised wide-ranging reforms to toughen security forces and purge corruption. "We showed weakness, and weak people are beaten," he said in a speech aimed at addressing the grief, shock and anger felt by many after a string...

Regarding a Osama bin Laden & Saddam Hussein terrorist connection, Russian President Vladimir Putin tells America: da!His country passed intelligence to America (Bush) in 2002 regarding Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein having a terrorist pact to destroy the USA.Hello, 9/11 Commission.... doh!