Posted on 05/21/2006 1:12:56 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Vienna: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of "paranoia" in an interview Sunday and said that in principle Iran should be allowed the peaceful use of atomic energy.
In the West there was "a kind of paranoia which still persists with the mentality of the Cold War," he said in his interview to be published in the Monday edition of the Austrian magazine Profil.
The atmosphere between Russia and the West was "not as we would like to have it." But the Russian side was not to blame for the tension, he said.
"If a country wants to force its ideology on the world and says, 'either you're with us or on the other side of the barricades', then that's bullshit," said Lavrov in reference to the US.
Recently US Vice-President Dick Cheney sharply criticised Russia and accused it of using its natural gas as a political means of pressure.
Lavrov said that Russia had always - in the Soviet era too - been a reliable supplier and had "never broken a treaty." At the same time he mentioned that "we as suppliers are not so dependant on Europe as they are as consumers."
On the Iran nuclear dispute, the Russian foreign minister said, "Everything depends on Iran."
The former government in Iran had broken its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and therefore it was "only natural that the international community no longer trusts Iran."
But when the present crisis was settled, Russia would have nothing against Iran enriching uranium for peaceful purposes under the control of the IAEA.
The present dispute could only be solved by negotiations.
"We should restrain ourselves with threats. Isolation is the wrong method. We must make concrete suggestions what duties Iran must fulfil and what rights it should have in return," he added.
Lavrov defended his government's Middle East policies. The democratic election by the Palestinian people must be respected, he said in reference to Russia's contacts with election winners Hamas.
But Hamas must change, by renouncing violence and respecting agreements with Israel.
"It's not realistic, however, that Hamas accepts the demands of the international community from today to tomorrow," he said.
Hamas would only change in gradual stages, and Russia wanted to actively support the transformation. Lavrov said it was "unacceptable" that the Palestinians were denied international aid money.
Anyone need any further proof how useless the UN is turning out to be on this one?
(Not that anyone needed any convincing here.)
Maybe it's just me, but when a whack job like the shrimp in charge of Iran goes peacefully nuclear and declares the end of the world at the same time, it brings uneasy thoughts to my mind.
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The day that anyone in Iran mentions 'nuclear weapons' and 'Chechnya' in the same sentence, you'll see him change his tune.
Russia is siding with islamic fantics over the west.I want to see the russian nationals defend this, or is it ok to support this garbage if it sticks it in the eye of the US? NATO vs China/Iran/Russia,which side would you rather run the civilized world? I know my answer and it isnt autocrats/dictators/or islamic jihadists.
This is not a ping. ...only some info regarding Lavrov's "paranoia" accusation.
Russia says new Topol RS-12 mobile ICBM can evade U.S. missile defense
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1513904/posts
Putin: Russia Building Nuclear Weapon U.S. Won't Have
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1282021/posts
I disagree.
Now the Russians want Iran to have access to nuclear energy.
I disagree with that as well.
Question is: WHO and what country is going to stop any of this???
Answer: looks like NOBODY.
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