Posted on 09/07/2004 12:03:16 PM PDT by Pikamax
WASHINGTON AP) - The Bush administration differed Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that only a political settlement could end the crisis between Russia and the breakaway region of Chechnya.
The administration also left open the possibility of U.S. meetings with Chechens who are not linked to terrorists.
Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage signed a book of condolences at the Russian Embassy over the deaths of at least 330 people, most of them children, during a hostage-taking last week at a school in the southern city of Beslan.
(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...
Speak for yourself.
Ummm... well, it is an AP article. Are we sure of the facts?
I have to think this was some idiot midlevel staffer who shot off his/her mouth without checking with the actual Bush administration.
But I want the author of the article to NAME NAMES. Not hide behind some "source."
Embarassing.
State Department....that says it all.
If we meet with Chechnyans then we will certainly see the blood of Americans shed on American soil. It make us look like appeasers and makes us look weak. It is an insult to the Russian people. Boucher needs to be fired asap.
They're playing the diplomacy game.
Dennis Prager read some editorials from a couple of left leaning foreign papers today. They were actually outraged at the right people this time.
These terrorists could care less about Chechnya. They want to control all of the former Soviet Union's Muslim-dominated areas, and turn it into a super state with nuclear weapons. They are just using Chechnya as their cover. Wake up State Department!
This is not a good idea!! And second they are rife with the fundamentalists Third we should be on the Russian side 100%
Sounds like to me the State Dept. is letting the Russians know in a diplomatic way that if the Russians want our support, it better be a two way street.
Think: Iraq.
Think: Iran.
Think: Nato.
Think: U.N. Security Council
"Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said Tuesday that 'our view on the overall situation has not changed.' That is, he said, ultimately 'there must be a political settlement' over Chechnya."
Boucher is nuts! The Russians should pound them back into the stone age!
"I could see the DOS issuing this if the fight was with the Russian army. But this is little kids now ... and when that happens, the gloves come off.
"
Indeed, but what does that mean? Do we bomb Chechnya into oblivion? Not all Chechens are terrorists. Heck, they're not all even Muslims.
Who would you attack. No doubt we should destroy the terrorists, but just as we are not destroying Iraq, we should not be destroying Chechnya. Hunt down the terrorists and kill them all. But...in the final analysis, Chechnya will still be a reality. For peace to exist there is going to require diplomacy.
The reason diplomacy was suggested is because Putin's government has been truely oppressing the Chechnian's. I don't blame Putin one bit for his comments, but Putin has brought this on. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. These freedom fighters crossed the line over to terrorist and they should get no mercy. But, the fact remains that Putin has brought this on himself.
I ain't believin' this.......
And while Putin has passed on information from time to time, we must remember that he is no ally of America. His administration has also been rather ham handed (Mark Steyn description) about Chechnya and if anyone's breeding terrorists, it's him.
Ambassador Boucher began his most recent assignment as Spokesman for the State Department in May 2000 under Secretary Albright and has continued to serve as Spokesman for Secretary Powell. Beginning in March 1989, Amb. Boucher served as the Department's Deputy Press Spokesman under Secretary Baker and in August 1992 he became the Department's Spokesman under Secretary Eagleburger. He continued to serve as the Department's Spokesman at Secretary Christopher's request until June 1993.
On June 13, 2000, Amb. Boucher was also named Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. He was confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs on December 15, 2000 and attested by the President on December 28, 2000, a position that he continues to hold.
Prior to this assignment, from July 1999 to April 2000 Amb. Boucher served as U.S. Senior Official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
As I suspected. A MadAb Clinton holdover jackass. A man who BADLY needs to retire.
Picture a United Muslim States in the region with nukes.
To hell with those creeps over in foggy bottom. The damnable US state department is ridddled with, go along, to get along, terrorist appeasers from top to bottom. It would be no big thing to put 2/3rds of them against the wall this afternon for the traitorious scum they always have been, are, and will be.
And how does one ascertain who is connected with terrorists and those who are not?
Good Lord, leave it to the bloody State Department to screw up a two-car funeral!
The Russians have just lost hundreds of kids to these bloodthirsty sons-of-bitches, and now we say that they should try to negotiate with these bastards?
That's pretty stupid...unless, this is a head-fake by us.
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