-Caveat Lector- Putin puts one over The American rookie has much to learn Leader Friday July 6, 2001 The Guardian George Bush's upbeat assessment of his summit meeting last month with Russia's Vladimir Putin and the lavish personal praise he heaped on the ex-KGB spy always looked a trifle overblown. Now hard evidence is piling up that the Russian leader, far from being equally impressed by America's rookie president, has decided, not to put too fine a point on it, that he is there for the taking. High on Mr Bush's agenda at the Slovenia summit was the issue of Iraq. Anxious to get off the humanitarian hook exploited by Saddam Hussein, the United States and United Kingdom were pushing a new United Nations resolution on "smart sanctions". Would Moscow support it? Whatever Mr Putin may have told Mr Bush, his final answer came this week. No. This collapse brought predictable crowing in Baghdad - and is a blow to all who seek a graduated, sane solution. This rebuff smacks of disdain on Mr Putin's part. And this impression is reinforced by a number of other Russian actions. No sooner had Mr Bush headed for home, all smiles, than Mr Putin was warning that if the US went ahead with its star wars missile defence plans without agreement, particularly over the anti-ballistic missile treaty, Russia might consider all existing bilateral arms control pacts to be null and void. For good, threatening measure, he also suggested Russia might revert to multiple nuclear warheads on its strategic missiles. Knowing full well American and Nato concerns about the Balkans - another summit issue - Mr Putin nevertheless went on to Kosovo after the meeting and there delivered a harsh critique of western policy. Kosovo was Serbian sovereign territory, he said; UN plans for elections and autonomous structures were therefore illegitimate. By its support for Kosovo's ethnic Albanians in their fight with Milosevic's regime in 1999, the US and its allies had encouraged the very sort of "terrorism" that was now destabilising Macedonia. On a number of other fronts, such as Russia's continuing war in Chechnya and its proliferating weapons sales to Iran, Mr Putin ignored or sidestepped Mr Bush. He has meanwhile strengthened ties with China through a new agreement, known as the Shanghai pact. By most measurable standards, the Slovenia summit was a bust and the Americans now have much ground to make up. But it clarified one point: Mr Bush has an awful lot to learn about international leadership. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
