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Bush concerned over Russian democracy
President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to "uphold the principles of democracy" in a carefully worded message expressing concern about Putin's proposed political reforms.Bush offered his first comment on Putin's proposal to do away with elections by popular vote for governors in Russia's 89 regions. Candidates would instead be selected by the president and approved by regional assemblies. Bush counts Putin as a strong ally in the war on terrorism, has invited him both to his Camp David retreat and his Texas ranch, and meeting him in 2001 said he had gotten a "sense of his soul". But aides said he wanted to speak out about what U.S. officials increasingly see as moves that could set back the clock on Russia's transformation from its Soviet past. "As governments fight the enemies of democracy, they must uphold the principles of democracy," Bush was quoted by Reuters as saying. The U.S. leader said he had recently spoken to Putin to express his condolences about the Beslan deaths, blamed by Russia on Chechen rebels. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-09-16 |
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