Posted on 09/27/2005 7:39:11 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a Sunday interview that it was impossible for Russia to resume its Cold War rivalry with the United States, AP reported.
“We are not adversaries. We are partners in many areas of international activities,” he said in an interview broadcast by the U.S. broadcaster Fox News.
But Putin reiterated his opposition to a U.S.-European push to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for consideration of sanctions over its nuclear program. He also said the United States should pull its troops out of Iraq within two years.
Putin was in New York last week for the UN world summit and talks with President Bush. He gave the taped interview Friday but it was not broadcast until Sunday. A transcript of the interview was posted on the Kremlin’s Web site.
On the sensitive subject of Iran, where Russia is building an atomic power plant despite U.S. concerns that Iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons, Putin rejected calls to have the International Atomic Energy Agency seek sanctions against the Tehran regime.
“Today, the Iranian side is working sufficiently in cooperation with the IAEA and (IAEA chief Mohamed) ElBaradei has told us so. So, let’s proceed from today’s realities,” Putin said.
The 35-nation board of the UN nuclear watchdog agency is to discuss Iran’s nuclear program at a meeting opening Monday at the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
Putin, whose government fiercely opposed the war to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, said the U.S.-led coalition’s military presence in Iraq is fueling the insurgency and urged that a deadline be fixed for the withdrawal of foreign troops.
“In our opinion, the fact of their presence there pushes the armed opposition to perpetrate acts of violence,” Putin said.
The Russian president acknowledged that fledgling Iraqi security forces need time before they can take over from U.S.-led forces but said a timetable for a pullout is essential to “make everybody move in the right direction.”
“I believe it should be within just over a year, or within two years, something like that. It will all depend on the situation in that country,” he said.
Putin also used the Fox interview to warn against trying to lecture Russia on democracy, AP added.
“I am convinced that democracy cannot be exported from one country to another. Just as you cannot export revolution, you cannot export ideology. We’re not prepared to listen to teaching or tutoring. That is inadmissible,” he said.
Putin is often criticized in the West for rolling back democratic freedoms by imposing state control of national broadcasters and scrapping elections for regional governors.
He repeated his pledge not to change the Russian constitution to allow him to run for a third consecutive term in the 2008 election.
“Under no circumstances am I prepared to change the constitution,” Putin said.
Putin say "You guys all ready kicked our asses once. We are not Arabs, we got the message the first time".
Seems they Russkis are in bed with the Chinese. Don't think we should share the same sheets.
I'd take Russia as an 'enemy' instead the nutcases we fight against today any day of the week. At least the Russians were respectable...
President Putman better just better be joking about a new cold war betweeen the U.S. and Russia......Putman is admired for his tough stance on terrorism ....but if forgets his allies we should cut off all benfits President Putman recieves now even taking with his sercret love Sec.-Dr. Rice.
Putman just is also trying to kiss up to the government of China since he loves playing both sides. President Putman better just needs to pick sides since China and the U.S. will make him eventually choose.
lbjgal
"I am convinced that democracy cannot be exported from one country to another. Just as you cannot export revolution, you cannot export ideology"
Fascinating that Putie thinks democracy is ideology.
With an 800 lb gorilla living next door, Russia does not need to antagonize anyone 8000 miles away.
If you say so......
The Artificial Famine/Genocide in Ukraine 1932-33
Close...they weren't respectable (Communists never are), they were sane. You could always depend on the Russians to do whatever was in their best interests, and on a strictly European-cultural level, you could at least relate to them. To quote Clancy, the Chi-Coms are Klingons by comparison, and the Islamofascists are...well...we don't have a suitable word yet.
I think the Japanese ambasador was telling the suits in DC
the same thing on Dec 6....
Touche. I should have caveated things by framing the time period of the Cold War. Russia's a wee bit old ya know?
Cold war between France and US - Possible.
I am for it!
jping
Then we better stop buying them from Walmart.
We do understand the difference between Soviet internationalist and present Russian nationalists, right?
Explain it to me.
Oh and by the way, we've had 5 wargames of varying size with the Russians this zero alone, they've had 1 with China in their entire history. In 2007 we are scheduled to have war games right outside of Moscow.
Furthermore, we sell and arm Pakistan which destabilizies and then spreads nuclear know how through out the whole central asia and middle east and attacks India, Russia's ally. We directly attacked the Serbs and sponsored the Islamics there and are still protecting the KLA.
Well, as far as autocracies, the Russians were in bed with Saddam, the Russians are now in bed with Iran who is striving to develop the Islamic Bomb and Russia is selling arms to Red China and Hugo Chavez.
The bottom line is that Russia should be casting its lot with the forces of liberty and freedom and yet, because of a pathological hatred and envy of the United States, Russia continues to cast its lot with authoritarianism and any fanatic regime that happens to hate America's guts.
Your argument is analogous to the assertion that there is a difference between the Imperial Germany of Kaiser Wilhelm and the Nazi Germany of Adolf Hitler.
My argument is that there is indeed a such difference but, in the end, that does not change the fact that both Imperial Germany and Nazi Germany considered the United States of America as their enemy.
My main focus is who considers the United States of America as their enemy.
I do not give a rat's ass as to their "Why"?
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.