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http://www.msnbc.com/news/833891.asp

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he sees no room for European mediation in the Chechnya conflict

Putin suggests circumcision for a reporter

Russian’s outburst followed question about Chechnya

OSLO, Norway, Nov. 12 — In a bizarre outburst, Russian President Putin said that Chechen rebels want to kill all non-Muslims and suggested that a French reporter who questioned the Kremlinís policy in Chechnya convert to Islam and come to Moscow for circumcision. The remarks were made Monday but were not fully translated when Putin spoke at an European Union gathering in Brussels, Belgium. The tenor only became clear after a full translation became available on Tuesday.

"They talk about the need to kill all ... non-Muslims, or "crusaders," as they put it. If you are a Christian, you are in danger."
— PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN

“IF YOU WANT to become an Islamic radical and have yourself circumcised, I invite you to come to Moscow. Our nation is multiconfessional, we have experts in the field,” Putin said in response to a question from a reporter from the Le Monde newspaper.

Putin was in Brussels for talks with leaders of the European Union.

“I would recommend that he who does the surgery does it so you’ll have nothing growing back, afterward,” Putin said. Circumcision is a tenet of Islam for all males.

Putin spoke rapidly and with agitation, according to those who saw the outburst, and his interpreters translated his remarks only intermittently.

On Tuesday, Putin traveled to the Norwegian capital of Oslo, where he held more discussions on Chechnya with European officials.

Afterwards, he brushed aside European advice, saying the crisis had to be solved at home.

“Of course we listen to advice from our colleagues in Europe,” Putin told a news conference after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who said he hoped for a peaceful, political solution in Chechnya. But he added, “It is an internal Russian problem to be solved between the Chechen people and the Russian federation.”

EXACT MEANING?

The exact meaning of what Putin had said Monday was not widely understood among the 450 journalists and only became clear on Tuesday when translated by The Associated Press from an audiotape of the news conference.

The full translation also was reported Tuesday in The New York Times, but Le Monde’s coverage in Tuesday’s editions did not mention Putin’s remarks.

Putin’s remarks to the Le Monde correspondent were in response to a question about the Russian army’s alleged use of heavy weapons against Chechen civilians.

The Russian president, a former KGB spy operative, spoke at great length about the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism. He said Chechen Muslims want a caliphate, or Muslim state, “on Russia soil.” Putin said that Islamic “radicals have much more ambitious goals. They talk about setting up a worldwide caliphate and the need to kill Americans and their allies.”

“They talk about the need to kill all ... non-Muslims, or ‘crusaders,’ as they put it. If you are a Christian, you are in danger,” Putin said.

“If you decided to abandon your faith and become an atheist, you also are to be liquidated according to their concept. You are in danger if you decide to become a Muslim. It is not going to save you anyway because they believe traditional Islam is hostile to their goals.”

In Moscow on Tuesday, the daily Kommersant said the summit “ended in a serious scandal” as a result of the Putin comments. It said Kremlin aides said Putin’s remarks were in response to a “provocative question.”

Gazeta.ru, a leading online publication, quoted unidentified Putin aides as saying the president was tired and angry for being peppered with questions about Chechnya.

“IF YOU WANT to become an Islamic radical and have yourself circumcised, I invite you to come to Moscow. Our nation is multiconfessional, we have experts in the field” ... “I would recommend that he who does the surgery does it so you’ll have nothing growing back, afterward,” Putin said.

OK, FReepers: What percentage of circumcised penises have the foreskin growing back?