Bush to press Russian leader over Chechnya (WHY ASK WHY ALERT)

The Financial Times ^ | November 22, 2002 | James Harding

[MadIvan]

President George W. Bush will on Friday urge Russia to pursue a political solution in Chechnya, when he meets President Vladimir Putin on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.

Although US diplomats see little near-term prospect of a negotiated settlement and the White House is keen to show its support for Mr Putin's tough approach to dealing with the Chechen terrorists, Mr Bush is expected to press the case for a political dialogue.

Condoleezza Rice, Mr Bush's national security adviser, said on Thursday: "He will encourage the Russians to work toward a political solution with the Chechen people, because there are aspirations that need to be understood and need to be met."

Dorogaya Condi - the Chechens want to create a Muslim state on Russia's border. Would you like it if there was say, an Iran right where Quebec is? The US and UK should be encouraging Putin to shoot the terrorists dead. - Ivan

The US has been signalling more forcefully to Moscow that it needs to temper its troops' behaviour in Chechnya and listen to Chechen grievances. Ms Rice said the president would ask "the Russians to work to make certain that human rights are upheld and that humanitarian conditions in Chechnya are addressed".

The nudge towards a political solution, though, is likely to be coupled with supportive language for Mr Putin's handling of the Moscow theatre hostage crisis and a reaffirmation of their shared commitment to eradicate terrorism.

The White House is keen to avoid the charge that the US is pursuing its enemies - Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein - with the use or threat of military force, while urging Russia to deal with Chechnya through political channels.

The St Petersburg meeting will last just a few hours, but is designed to show how an expanded Nato is reaching out to Russia. Other issues on the agenda include the development of a legal framework to protect US investments in the Russian oil industry, and the effort to disarm Iraq.

Mr Bush is travelling halfway across Europe to make a public show of his warm personal relationship with Mr Putin, but the US president did little to end the frostiness between himself and Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, at the Nato summit in Prague.

Mr Bush and Mr Schröder met at a dinner on Wednesday night at Prague castle and shook hands. Observers said they exchanged a few words. The meeting lasted just over a minute. Mr Bush was incensed two months ago that a then minister in Mr Schröder's government allegedly compared the US president to Adolf Hitler without being dismissed immediately.

Mr Bush held bilateral meetings with Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, and Jacques Chirac, the French president, on Thursday.

US administration officials give the sense that the relationship with Germany has been relegated to the working level.

[MadIvan]

I really hope this is merely a formality for the purposes of the press. Putin is doing good work in killing terrorists and telling them this is not on.

Second, a "working" relationship with Germany? Whatever for?

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Arkinsaw]

They pulled out of Chechnya in '96 and gave them defacto independence and the terrorists still came. Why we want to embarass ourselves and hack off the Russian people over these hostage taking, explosive wearing, terrorists is beyond me.

[gcruse]

No surprise here. We've been pushing Israel to commit suicide for years.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Mad, I think your hopes of this being a press play are correct. Of course it is true the President will ask Putin to try and find a political solution. But the caveat of "if it won't work, do what you have to do" will always be there, in my opinion.

Look, despite the rants of the extreme right--some here on FR--and the extreme left, represented by a huge BULK, apparently, of the Democrat constituency, one thing is certain: We were changed after 9/11. Israel's problem with terrorism we could suddenly empathize with. Vladimir Putin's terrorism problem we could sympathize with. Any respectable country having INNOCENTS killed out of the BLUE we could sympathize with.

And so, I for one, say to Vlad: GO FORTH AND IMPALE. Vlad needs to tell our President "There is no negotiating with terrorists. We do not hold summits with terrorists." I'm sure G.W. will understand.

[swarthyguy]

I hope Putin ( no shrinking violet, that guy) throws Saudi support for Chechen jihadis right back at Dubya.

And why we play softball with the Sauds.

[LibKill]

I really hope this is merely a formality for the purposes of the press.

Probably is. He's done the same thing about Israel, dressed down Sharon, sent in Colin Powell, and nothing changed on the ground. Terrorists were sent to their graves, the U.S. had "plausible deniability". A win-win situation for both countries.

Putin is doing good work in killing terrorists and telling them this is not on.

Absolutely.

Putin does have some advantages in his struggle with terrorists that Bush does not have.

The Russian press is not in love with terrorists, the leftists in the U.S. press kiss terrorist arses every chance they get.

The Russian people don't really worry about "brutality" when terrorists are involved. In the U.S. we have a large number of wimps who cry when someone swats a mosquito.

[Cicero]

I think it's just a) a gesture for the press; and b) a rather light-hearted joke in response to Putin's demands that the U.S. should make peace with Iraq. I imagine he will smile when he delivers this message.

[zingzang]

If his reaction to the terrorists in the recent theatre hostage situation is any guideline, I'd say that this is just a formality as well. Putin doesn't have the damn ACLU, liberal press, greenpeace, PETA, etc, dogging his every move like GW does here. He's exhibited that he can and will make grave decisions when it comes to these murderers, and I hope we can follow his lead on this one.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

"A practical solution" - one 10 megaton nuke on the capital of the "breakaway" Republic.

[Republic of Texas]

You can't have a political solution with Muslims. So much for that.

[monday]

"The White House is keen to avoid the charge that the US is pursuing its enemies - Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein - with the use or threat of military force, while urging Russia to deal with Chechnya through political channels. "

So Bush doesn't want to be charged with being a hypocrite even though he is? hmmmmm, I for one am not fooled. Sorry Mr. President. Your spin isn't working. Better luck next time.

[DannyTN]

I wonder if our hypocrisy on this is why Russia stood in our way at the UN when clearly they are more at risk from islamic terrorism than we are?

[valkyrieanne]

More appeasement of the Religion of Piece(s) from the Bush Administration. This is getting really, really embarassing.