RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN SLAMS UNITED STATES

 

 

 

Jim Kouri, CPP
August 6, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

The Russians have allegedly sold weapons to countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and other terrorist-supporting nations. After the US-led invasion of Iraq, Russian-made weapons were found, as well.

As a result, the US government placed sanctions against American business dealings with two Russian companies selling arms and weapons systems to Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the United States on Friday for imposing such sanctions on two Russian corporations.

Putin called the sanctions an "illegitimate attempt to make foreign companies work by internal American rules," after the US banned all American companies from dealing with two Russian firms that sold hardware to Iran.

One of the companies, Rosoboronexport, is headed by Sergei Chemezov, a former member of the KGB who worked with Putin in East Germany during the Cold War.

President Putin explains, "These sanctions, which the US unilaterally imposes on other countries and their organizations, are an obvious political and legal anachronism."

The US Department of State says the companies were helping the Iranians to develop weapons of mass destruction, as well as cruise or ballistic missile systems to compliment its upcoming nuclear power.

According to an MSNBC report, the sanctions could have far-reaching implications; U.S. companies such as Boeing, works with Sukhoi in Russia and is a large customer of VSMPO-Avisma, a Russian titanium company, which has been targeted for a takeover by Rosoboronexport.

Under the sanctions, no American company can deal with the banned Russian firms for two years.

While some observers are criticizing Bush for the ban, it's not the first time Putin has made a move against the US. Recently, President Putin's government forced Russian radio stations to stop broadcasting news reports from the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Ironically, according to the VOA, President Bush praised his Russian counterpart Putin for his "helpful role" in international diplomacy.

The sanctions will be the first time the US government has taken action against the Russians. For many years, government officials turned a blind eye to Russian duplicity.

For instance, when the US called for an arms embargo on Iran last April for its defiance on its nuclear programs, the Russians ignored the call. Russia was already in the process of selling Iran 29 TOR M1 mobile surface-to-air missile defense systems and went forward with the sales.

The United States had hoped that the United Nations Security Council could impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear programs. It's hardly a surprise that Russia has been reluctant to do so.

"Why are people so surprised that the Russians are not cooperating? They stand to make a lot of money selling arms and military technology to Iran, especially since they lost a good customer in Iraq," said one intelligence analyst.

Russia's arms and technology transfers to Iran have created diplomatic and security headaches for Washington, as Tehran develops some fairly sophisticated military capabilities and builds ballistic missiles armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that threaten US interests and allies in the region. Even more troubling for Washington, the US has been able to do very little about it and its options seem limited.

In addition, intelligence experts believe -- as with the Saddam regime in Iraq -- Russian intelligence officers are assisting the Iranians. Jane's Intelligence Review reports that while the KGB was dismantled, the Russians are continuously growing a huge intelligence network that is deeply entrenched in the Middle East.

It's believed that Russia is hosting Iranian intelligence officers at their training facilities and academies in order to upgrade their training in intelligence gathering and analysis, covert actions, and strategic planning.

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In spite of the enormous amount of evidence that Putin's government has repeatedly worked against the United States, the Bush Administration appears to be oblivious to the Russians' duplicity on the world stage. When documents and tape recordings indicated that Russian military officers were in Iraq assisting the Iraqis prior to the US-led invasion, and that their assistance went so far as to provide Iraq's dictator with US invasion plans, the silence in the Bush White House was deafening.

The sanctions against two Russian companies may be a good beginning, but that's all it is -- a beginning.

� 2006 Jim Kouri- All Rights Reserved