MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- Russia is fed up with being lectured by the West on democracy but is willing to discuss the issue frankly at a summit with the United States this month, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Sunday. Posted on 02/13/2005 12:54:39 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- Russia is fed up with being lectured by the West on democracy but is willing to discuss the issue frankly at a summit with the United States this month, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Sunday.
Eight days after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Moscow must show its commitment to "the basics of democracy," Ivanov said Moscow was ready for an open exchange when presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin meet.
"We're ready to discuss any issues with the U.S. side, and not only to give answers but also ask questions," Ivanov told journalists at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
"Democracy is not a potato that you can transplant from one kitchen garden to another. I believe that in recent years democracy in Russia has been developing normally."
He added: "We are prepared to calmly move further in this direction, developing democracy and integrating into the global economic system, but while doing so we prefer to be masters of our own house."
Bush is due to meet Putin on February 24 in the Slovak capital Bratislava. Rice said this month that Russia should show the world it was committed to the rule of law, an independent judiciary and a free press.
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LOL. I take it you disagree.
No. (probably should have made that clearer). I'm 100% behind your Thugocracy classification! I don't think these guys can ever recover.
OH good! Yeah, I have a friend from the ukraine and he tells me that it's basically dog eat dog- all the pols are just wanting to get rich from oil contracts and heavens knows what else- and good luck to everybody else. I wish so much better for the Russian people- I wish they would rise up and demand democracy like the ukranians!
I did until my main hard drive did a hard crash last week. It can be found in a western org that monitors the arab press and translates what they say to each other. Arab News Watch or some such, can't remember the name. Maybe some other freepers can help?
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