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| Russia |
| Putin blasts US stance on Chechens |
| 2004-09-07 |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that mid-level officials in the U.S. government were undermining his country's war on terrorism by supporting Chechen separatists, whom he compared to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Putin's charge, made in a meeting with a group of western foreign policy experts, came just days after hundreds of people, mostly children, died in the bloody end to the Beslan siege. Putin also defended his government's decision to storm the school and said the hostage holders had begun shooting children out of boredom. His comments did not suggest the final raid was triggered by the shooting of children. In the wide-ranging meeting which lasted almost four hours, Putin said he likes President Bush, calling him a friendly, decent, predictable person. But Putin said each time Russia complained to the Bush administration about meetings held between U.S. officials and Chechen separatist representatives, the U.S. response has been "we'll get back to you" or "we reserve the right to talk with anyone we want." Putin blamed what he called a "Cold War mentality" on the part of some U.S. officials, but likened their demands that Russia negotiate with the Chechen separatists to the U.S. talking to al Qaeda. These are not "freedom fighters," Putin said. "Would you talk with Osama Bin Laden?" he asked. Putin said the Chechen separatists are trying to ignite ethnic tensions in the former Soviet Union and it could have severe repercussions. "Osama Bin Laden attacked the United States saying he was doing it because of policies in the Middle East," Putin said. "Do you call him a freedom fighter?" Putin's comments came a few weeks after the U.S. granted asylum to Ilias Akhmadov, the "foreign minister" of the Chechen separatist movement. The Russian president also justified the rescue operation in Beslan, conceding that it took time to mobilize the operation. He said Russian special forces stormed the school knowing they themselves were likely to be killed. In one dramatic moment, Putin said Russian security forces overheard a disturbing walkie-talkie conversation between the terrorists: "What are you doing? Why? I hear some noise. What's going on? I'm just in the middle of shooting some children." "They were bored," Putin said. "So they shot children." Putin said investigators determined the hostage takers included 10 fighters from "Arab" countries, along with others from the former Soviet Union and one person from North Ossetia where the hostage crisis unfolded. Putin said the terrorists' goal was to ignite conflict between two local ethnic groups, the Ingush and the Ossetians. In other comments, Putin said Russia would take its own approach to democratic reform. "We'll do this at our own pace," he said. Democracy can mean different things in different countries, he said. "In Russia, democracy is who shouts the loudest," he said. "In the U.S., it's who has the most money." Asked about the U.S. presidential race, Putin was complimentary of President George W. Bush, saying he likes him. He is a friendly, decent, predictable person, but "it is not about personalities," Putin said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #14 I am dumbfounded! You're on-topic and making salient points! Gosharoonies, smn, you're going to give me a heart attack! Bravo! Indeed, Tsar Putty does have some explaining to do, some past betrayals (especially since he did the face-to-face with Bush before he stabbed us in the back) to answer for, and no reasons for us to trust him. None. I'd prefer to deal with someone else - and his pop idol game may fall flat on its face if he doesn't get very serious about internal reforms and help the average Russian up off the floor. I may get my wish. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-09-08 12:20:36 AM |
| #13 OHhh...and we're suppose to forget about the fact that the Russians hampered our push into Iraq, by providing jammers to our JDAM bombs to the Iraqi side; and night vision goggles to the enemy also!! What about the trinary positioning by RUSSIA, France, and Germany in the United Nations against us, from the start?! Yes, as I always say, "what goes around, comes around: including you...Mr. Putin! |
| Posted by: smn 2004-09-07 11:24:07 PM |
| #12 He doesn't seem too care about helping the US do anything in our war on terror besides sell the enemy weapons. That's the quid pro quo, smokey. If |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-09-07 10:08:41 PM |
| #11 That would be the career |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-07 8:52:51 PM |
| #10 why should we help putin in his war on terror? H He doesn't seem too care about helping the US do anything in our war on terror besides sell the enemy weapons. |
| Posted by: smokeysinse 2004-09-07 6:39:42 PM |
| #9 BigEd's right! This is State that wants to jaw with the Chechens. Happily, Rummy has condemned it! Rumsfeld Condemns Terror Attack in Russia |
| Posted by: GreatestJeneration 2004-09-07 4:09:20 PM |
| #8 #5 Let's have a little chin-chin about those nuclear reactors in Iran you're being so helpful about, Vladdie... Bingo, mojo. Until |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-09-07 2:02:29 PM |
| #7 This is likely to be the Sr to Mid-level "Career Diplomats" in our beloved State Dept running their own Foreign Policy. Many have said it here before, there needs to be a major housecleaning at State - to remove the elitist arrogant unelected (and largely unaccountable) fuckwits at State who think they know better than everyone else - and will prove it by undermining the Admin. .com = this is the root of Putin's frustration. And our career Mad-Cow-Disease affected bureaucrats at the State Dept need to be retired. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-09-07 1:20:50 PM |
| #6 Good point mojo |
| Posted by: plainslow 2004-09-07 12:23:19 PM |
| #5 Let's have a little chin-chin about those nuclear reactors in Iran you're being so helpful about, Vladdie... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-09-07 12:17:25 PM |
| #4 More likely than Putin being upset over America's willingness to talk to Chechens, I bet what really got Putin panties wadded was the response by the American papers and press. And who can blame him? Everything I saw from talking heads on Fox to BBC put forth that the concept that whole incident was "caused" by Russia's "poorly trained, underequipped, underpaid, military, who were "unprepared". As if one could be. Whoa! Slow down there, Russian cowboys. That's just what the press and talking heads say. As such, it follows that the majority of Americans disagree. |
| Posted by: B 2004-09-07 12:02:58 PM |
| #3 No argument from me. Happy hunting, Mr. Putin. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-09-07 12:00:41 PM |
| #2 This is likely to be the Sr to Mid-level "Career Diplomats" in our beloved State Dept running their own Foreign Policy. Many have said it here before, there needs to be a major housecleaning at State - to remove the elitist arrogant unelected (and largely unaccountable) fuckwits at State who think they know better than everyone else - and will prove it by undermining the Admin. These are the same people who have repeatedly made a total hash of things - via the mixed messages and half-assed efforts when they deign to act at all - from Joe Wilson antics to NorK to China to Chechnya. It's our very own internal Ivy League Snob Mob of UN-styled multiculti appeaceniks and intelligentsia. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-09-07 11:59:59 AM |
| #1 I've always thought, that if we wanted our war against terrorism to succeed, we needed to reconize everyone's problem with it, and help them. In this I think Mr Putin is right. We need to help them. |
| Posted by: plainslow 2004-09-07 11:50:36 AM |