Posted on 03/12/2005 12:36:18 PM PST by Lukasz
SEOUL : Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il a medal marking the end of World War II, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim received the medal in person "commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War" from Russia's envoy on behalf of Putin, the agency said. It is rare for the secretive leader to attend award ceremonies.
"A ceremony of conveying the medal took place in grand style Tuesday. Kim Jong-Il was present there," the agency said without specifying the venue.
The reclusive leader, who was accompanied by ranking North Korean government, military and communist party officials at the ceremony, expressed gratitude to Putin, it said.
In a seperate dispatch, the agency said Kim and his entourage attended a reception held "in a cordial atmosphere" by Ambassador Andrei Gennadiyevich Karlov at the Russian embassy in Pyongyang.
"He expressed thanks for the kind invitation and had an amicable and friendly talk with the ambassador before posing for a photograph with the staff members of the embassy," it said.
Russia is preparing for a grand event on May 9 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, inviting some 60 world leaders to the ceremony in Moscow.
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has accepted an invitation to attend the celebrations. North Korea's head of state has also been invited but it was uncertain whether a delegate from the communist state would attend. - AFP
Give the little boy with the funny hair a shiny medal and mabye he'll come back to the 6 Party Talks. Last time he got a pair of ponies and calmed down. After all: He's zsooo looonely, juzst soooo loooonely...
bump
Viva Russia !
Uh "nice" to see you back. You realize Bush would never be caught dead being photographed with little Kim, don't you?
Incredible.
Hahahahaha! Is that picture real??? At least Putin has a sense of humor. He'd have to have one to dress up like that!
Yes, It's real, but I think that the other guy is from China.
Well, different geo-political situations call for different diplomacy. Russia shares a border with N.Korea and if littl Kim there goes nuts and starts a nuke war with America, guess where the trade winds carry all the fall out and the refugees. If a shiny medal and a pair of ponies send the little nut job back to talks, hell, give him double.
Of course, Pootie will learn "useful idiot" Lil Kim how to be a better Christian and turn his regime into Russian-style democracy, right? ;) You know, different geo-political situations require playing differnt geo-parties scenarios. You gotta have dresses and lip service for all of them, that's why. Kiss to old love Schroeder and new love Chirac (to pinch the Americans for their Iraqi mission) and handshake for Iraninas, hug to Chinese (to buy some time before they buy Syberia) and pat on the shoulder for US aka "GWOT ally".
How many tanks, planes, rifles, artillery pieces, ordnance did North Korea give away to Russia in order to save her bacon from her ally Nazi Germany?
What suckers we were to run this equipment to Murmansk while our leaders knew full well we'd never see a penny from Roosevelt's and Truman's friend Uncle Joe Stalin.
After the war the Russkies moved their American military prisoners to Siberia and we never saw them again.
Russia is still an evil empire that has all their sophisticated weaponry targeting CONUS!
As far as North Korea is concerned it should have been wiped off the map making the 49th parallel needless. Russia should have been defanged in 1945 saving us decades of misery and thousands of America's most precious commodity: our young men!
I can't disagree with any of that.
Yes, I understand the concept of diplomacy.
My post was to jb. He understood what I meant. We are on a shorthand level of disagreements on some things. So, my comments to him may not make complete sense to others. Sorry.
How about going back to the old one: Russia and China. Still works for me. Did you really fly an F16?
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