Posted on 08/19/2005 4:09:22 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
President Vladimir Putin (file photo) (CTK) Russian President Vladimir Putin called yesterday for a timetable for pulling foreign troops out of Iraq. The Russian leader said many Iraqis view the foreign troops as "occupiers" and suggested the withdrawal will encourage insurgents to abandon violence in favor of contributing to the creation of the state. The United States was quick to reject his call, saying it is still too early for a pullout.
Moscow, 19 August 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Speaking to reporters in the Black Sea resort of Sochi after a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Putin first reiterated his call for an international conference on Iraq.
Putin disapproves of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and insists such a conference might help bring peace to the strife-torn country.
Then the Russian president went one step further. He said it is imperative to draw up a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.
“We deem it necessary to work out a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq," Putin said. "Many Iraqis, we know this well, still consider these forces to be occupiers."
Encouraging Iraqi insurgents to take part in their country’s political process, he added, is another argument in favor of a swift pullout.
“Resolving this task will enable a significant part of the armed Iraqi resistance to be brought into the process of creating a state," Putin said.
President George W. Bush has consistently rebuffed international calls to set a schedule for withdrawing the 138,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. Putin's plea was no exception.
A few hours after the Russian president's statement, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing in Washington that Iraq was not yet ready for a withdrawal of foreign troops.
"I think [U.S.] President [George W.] Bush has spoken very clearly on our views on the issue of security assistance to the Iraqis," McCormack said. "As Iraqis stand up [increase] their capabilities, we and the multinational forces will be able to stand down [withdraw]."
McCormack also suggested the United States had little intention to hold an international conference on Iraq by the end of the year, as Putin proposed.
"We did, recently, have an international conference that was organized in Brussels, which had great attendance from around the world, from around the region, from Europe -- there was a delegation from Russia there, I believe, as well -- in which countries came together to express support for Iraq," McCormack said.
Putin has openly opposed the Iraq war. But this is the first time he has made such a clear-cut statement on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.
Putin’s statement comes just days after Russia carried out military exercises in the Barents Sea during which new intercontinental ballistic missiles were tested.
Yevgenii Volk, a political analyst and the director of Moscow's Heritage Foundation think thank, said both events indicate Putin might be trying to gain more influence in world affairs by flexing his country's military muscle.
“It is significant that the declaration was made directly after the Northern Fleet’s military exercises where, whatever people might say, scenarios of an atomic war with the U.S. were developed," Volk said. "This [declaration] is clearly a display of strength, and Putin is showing that Russia’s military power must and can translate into the strengthening of its political influence, no matter where the area of conflict is located.”
Russia and China also launched unprecedented joint military exercises yesterday amid U.S. concerns that the two giants might form a military alliance.
"So how do you explain communism in China?"
Rusians exported communism at the tip of the ak47 to many countries - we're lucky we did not lose Germany, Greece, Italy and even France before and after WWII
In fact this antiwestern propaganda is one of the reasons we have islamofascism now.
""Poland ueber alles" -- is that the only thing acceptable to you? "
Who are you quoting - its not me- or is this another silly Marxist obfuscation to avoid the issue and broadbrush the truth with some absurd smear of fascism.
"The COMMUNISTS are responsible for the deaths. Communists included Jews, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Uzbeks, Tadjiks, Turkmen, Georgians, Armenians, Azeris, Kyrgyz"
All your posturing will not erase the fact that the Kremlin which is the center of power for Russian genocide over 300 years is in RUSSIA and is run by RUSSIANS.
One day after the job is done. How's that?
Forget it Vlad. STFU. We already have enough of a pain with old undead formerly KGB sponsored leftists spewing leftover whiny warprotest crap to try to get another 15 minutes without you sticking your face in it.
Go play in Chechnya, willya?
You guys had a chance to be relevant, but iirc one of your ministers was on the take in the Oil for Food scam, so butt out.
We know ours work, and within 5 minutes of yours being launched Red Square would be target numero-uno of about 10 missles that have a "press here for mushroom cloud" button.
Vey nastily Eagle....vey nastily.
For the beginin Russia haven't conquested Chechnya, it's just joined the teretory where compactly resided the NOHCHI(ancestry of todays chechenians)There even wasn't insist the state "Chechnya". There was littel feudal principalities, part of them were subjugated, part - voluntarily (cause of economic reason)entered Russian empire. Chechnya is not the only slamic region in Russia, there is also Dagestan. Which is more respecteble among the muslims, in the end there are tatars. By the way "NOHCHI" translating like" Chldren of NOE". P.S Russia not waring with Chchnya Your thougts are in greate mess, please next time write someth. more constructive.
"The bottom line to all of that is that the land's population majority was not ethnically Russian in 1859 and it is still not ethnically Russian today.
Whatever "rights" Russia obtained were by rights of conquest.
So, if Putin thinks he can demand a timetable for U.S. withdrawal Iraq, why shouldn't somebody else not demand a timetable for his withdrawal from Chechnya?
I have a much better idea for Mr. Putin:
We will stay out of his business and he will stay out of ours."
Following your logic, Russian state should be located in Kiev Limits. Russia is the largest country in the world (it has 11 time zones). RF is a multi-nationed country. There are over 100 nations, most of the nationalities are the indigenous population of the land they use to live. That's why Repablics in Russia wear names of the majority aboriginal nation of the land: "Yakutia" - the yakuts, "Chukotka" - the chukchi, "North Osetia" ("Alania") - the osetian (the alans), "Mariy - El" - the maries, "Chechnya" - the chechenians etc.
Chechnya - part of Russia. And Russia can place their forces on it's territory wherever they likes.
Iraq ( as far as i know) is not the state of the USA. And despite on UN resolutions, US attacked an another independent country on the score of weapons of mass destruction wich wasn't even found.
That's the difference between Chechnya & Iraq, and there is no comparison between them.
Communism is/was filled by internationalist, globalist "elites" just like it is today. Look who fought in the Spanish Civil War, the same types that fought in the Russian Civil War and the same types that have fought across all the continents when it came to communist revolutions. Che Guivera is a prime example. He's South American, fought in Cuba and Africa before returning to his own continent.
Arizona applied for statehood after we annexed the territory from a defeated Mexico. How about Hawaii where we overthrew the monarchy and annexed the islands? Read up on your history. The Siminole and the Trail of Tears (southern Georgia was the Siminole/Creek homeland) is a prime example.
Really? Lieolot? I'm sure battles like the Seige of Leningrad, Stalingrad, Moscow, Kursk, Rostov, and a dozen more were not on modern day Russian territory. How about Kharkov, a Russian populated city, fought over 4 times? Oh I'm sure you'd forget that if you could but you ignore that all the time in your propagada of lies, damn lies and false statistics.
By the way, where do you think most of the man power came to fight the Nazis with Ukraine & Belaruss over run so quickly?
You are a poor revisionist, but a revisionist none the less.
I don't make the rules - I just report the facts.
Here is the proof on how the losses by Poland and Ukraine far outweighed the losses of the Russians as the Russians would have you believe.
Another Kremlin shell game.
At 2.9%, the Russian loss is almost as low as the French!!
Whereas Ukraine and Poland each lost nearly 20%.
http://www.infoukes.com/history/ww2/page-29.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.