Discord at G8 Diplomats' Meeting

The Moscow Times ^ | June 30, 2006 | Nabi Abdullaev

[sergey1973]

For diplomats accustomed to papering over differences, the G8's foreign ministers sounded rather undiplomatic at the news conference following their meeting Thursday.

Minutes before Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters the meeting had avoided internal politics, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Kremlin's handling of the media and private groups had, in fact, been discussed.

It was, perhaps, a prelude to the G8 summit in St. Petersburg, where U.S. President George W. Bush and other Western leaders may -- or may not -- rebuke Russia for abandoning democracy.

Major outstanding questions are when and where that conversation will come up, and how Westerners, particularly Bush, will balance their criticism with cajoling Russia into supporting UN sanctions against Iran and other issues.

[sergey1973]

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[Proud_USA_Republican]

The biggest crime is that Russia is allowed in the G8. THey have the economy of Holland.

[Michael81Dus]

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier backed up Rice. Both Steinmeier and Rice promised that their governments would be raising similar concerns in the near future, possibly referring to the upcoming summit.

I like that. :-) Merkel makes a difference. She has met with the Russian opposition (or what´s left of it) when she was in Moscow this year.