Brilliant. Putin plays the card of "Chechens are Muslims, so they must be against all Christians, and hence evildoers, oh and by the way forget that they have only been fighting for their own independence since 1996 etc":
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Making his case for a strong hand in Chechnya, Putin said Chechen rebels wanted "to kill Americans and their allies," and warned, "If you are a Christian, your life is threatened." The Russian president said "so-called freedom fighters" could threaten to "capture our nuclear facilities or other vital or publicly dangerous facilities for their own purposes."
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"I believe that either we are together treating such activities or we are in for big trouble," he said.
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Putin spoke soon after Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, who represented the EU at the meeting, said the conflict in Chechnya could not "be regarded only as a terrorist problem."
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Putin responded pointedly to a question by a French reporter's question about innocent civilians being casualties of the conflict in Chechnya.
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"I believe you are from a country that is a U.S. ally," Putin said. "You are threatened. They talk about the need to kill all non-Muslims, all cross-bearers. If you are a Christian, your life is threatened."
iht.com |
