BREAKING: Powell: U.S. 'Cannot Accept Result' of Ukraine Election

Fox News ^ | November 24, 2004

[West Coast Conservative]

Powell: U.S. 'Cannot Accept Result' of Ukraine Election

[RightWhale]

We are annoyed that other countries are concerned with our election, citizens of the world etc., why is our take on another country's election okay? It's deep all right.

[Destro]

Bull - Unless the West - by the way EU and W on the same side? - can feed and warm and provide jobs for the Ukrainians the Ukrainians will be linke dto Russia - from which they get most of their feul and trade. The Cold War was about ideology and economics be damned. The post cold war world turns on economic relationships.

[RightWhale]

It's our business

Is our election their business?

[BJClinton]

From AP via Yahoo!

Powell: U.S. Rejects Ukraine Vote Results

4 minutes ago

Europe - AP

By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said Wednesday the United States does not consider legitimate the results of elections in Ukraine, which the opposition says was marred by fraud.

AP Photo

He challenged leaders of the former Soviet bloc nation "to decide whether they are on the side of democracy or not."

"If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud," Powell said.

The secretary was not explicit. However, the United States often revokes the U.S. visas of officials involved in perpetrating fraudulent elections in foreign countries.

Another option would be to refuse Ukrainian entry into Euro-Atlantic organizations such as NATO (news - web sites).

Powell said he spoke with outgoing Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma and urged that his government not crack down on demonstrators. He also spoke with other regional leaders, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Powell spoke to reporters shortly after election officials in Ukraine declared that Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won the election over opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. The announcement raised fears of violence in Kiev, where tens of thousands of demonstrators have been demanding that the results be overturned.

"We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse," Powell said.

The crisis in Ukraine also posed a dilemma for the United States. Ukraine has supported the military campaign in Iraq (news - web sites), and contributed 1,600 soldiers to the coalition. Yushchenko had said that if elected, he would withdraw Ukraine's troops.

Powell did not elaborate about his conversation with Lavrov, but said he advocated a solution to the crisis in Ukraine that is "based on the law, using legal procedures."

The State Department confirmed Tuesday that it had summoned the Russian ambassador and discussed Ukraine. The Kremlin described the meeting as "unprecedented interference" in another country's affairs.

Powell said Wednesday he discussed the elections with European Union (news - web sites) officials and with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who has offered to mediate.

[jb6]

Those exit polls were only held in Kiev and the western oblasts: aka like having them in Washington, west coast and ne as proof Kerry won.

The opposition started claiming fraud and victory from the moment balloting started.

Oh and Soros is behind the opposition.

[Edgerunner]

The Kremlin described the meeting as "unprecedented interference" in another country's affairs.

It sure is. The Kremlin's interference doesn't count of course...
MSM will headline:
Washington Interferes With Legitimate Election in Ukraine

[MarMema]

Ziggy rising.

[hobart paving]

there's a lot more at stake here than a few ukrainian soldiers sitting around a desert watching our boys fight. with the recent moves by putin to consolidate power in russia, the rigging of the election in the ukraine sends an alarming signal about the direction the russian empire is headed.

i'm sure most of the people in the ukraine don't support the iraq war because they don't think we mean it when we say we're fighting for democracy. abandoning them to putin would just prove them right.

[jimbo123]

Putin sends in Russian troops to Kiev and disguises them in Ukrainian uniforms and you're happy about it?

If you don't think Bush/Powell's statement regarding Putin's actions is not about ideology, you are a very naive person.

[California Patriot]

"Why is our take on another country's election OK"?

Oh, that's an easy one.

We have moral authority. We have 200 years' experience at this. We have spilled an enormous amount of blood for freedom. And not least, there was very serious election fraud in Ukraine. The fears of Republican "election fraud" were nonsense.

Major differences in the two situations, I'd say.

I shudder to think how the Cold War would have turned out if, say, President Reagan had taken your simplistic, isolationist line back in the 1970s and '80s.

Perhaps you also think we should apologize to the Iraqi people for interfering in their country? That's what you sound like.

[DBeers]

Apparently it is in our best interest -I assume our leader knows what he is doing based upon the information he is privy to.

[Check_Your_Premises]

Yeah, unlike the left, I didn't miss the Ukrainian famine. So you are saying this is important to us because of the historic oppression of this region by the Russians. Ok, I feel bad about that. When I said I was didn't know anything about the Ukraine, I was referring to modern times. Does it have any strategic significance to us that you are aware of?

Does it do anything to enhance Russian power to our detriment? Does this signal some new era of Russian expansionism? Is Putin a threat to Europe?

[jimbo123]

It is our business. Just like any "election" in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Pakistan, Russian, China etc. is our business.

[California Patriot]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

[wildandcrazyrussian]

No, the Russians were the most numerous of international Communism's victims starting in 1917. Also the COmmunist-produced famine in the early 1930's killed people in the breadbasket regions in BOTH Ukraine and Russia. The Communists crushed ALL opposition, against all economic sense.

[RightWhale]

your simplistic, isolationist line

You don't know that. What we ought to know is why we do what we do. Moral authority? Not in the last 40 years.

[RightWhale]

It is our business.

Should we interfere, or is it in the Russian sphere?

[demlosers]

I wonder if those silly international observers are in the Ukraine?

[Agog]

I agree. Russian troops are in Ukraine but have been nowhere to be seen in Iraq since they helped Sadam hide his WMDs.

[Check_Your_Premises]

Ok, so what should we do about it?