Re: The U.S. has been urging Russia to pull out of the contract on helping to build an $800 million nuclear reactor in Iran’s city of Bushehr saying Iran, the Middle East’s second-biggest oil producer, doesn’t need nuclear power and...
...Putin dutifully complied! LOL... I see you too fell for the official spoof about a "growing rift" between the US and Russia. On second thought, however, I've come to the contrarian opinion that Bush and Putin see eye-to-eye on the issue of Iran's nuclear scheme --as the article below plainly shows. Of course, for obvious reasons, neither can blurt it. But the fact is, Putin is but the US-Israel's doormat. He actually sold Iran out to the Judeofascist gang, just like he sold out Iraq, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, you name it!
Now, the last thing Bush and his crack spinmeisters want is for the (Arab) world and the Russian people to see through the trick --hence their "parting friends" masquerade at yesterday's press conference.
Besides, Bush is well aware that the more he openly criticizes Putin the higher he boosts the latter's popularity at home... Just like it'd be a gaffe for Sharon to hail Mahmud Abbas as a "good chap", it'd be a disservice to Putin for Bush to brand him as Washington's subservient ally.... After all, who wants Putin to meet the same fate as the late General Lebed?
Bush, Putin: Iran Should Not Have Nukes
Thu Feb 24,12:11 PM ET
[...]
By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Seeking common ground amid sensitive differences on democracy, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on new efforts to keep nuclear arms away from terrorists as well as sovereign nations like Iran and North Korea.
"We agreed that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. I appreciate Vladimir's understanding on that," Bush said. "We agreed that North Korea should not have a nuclear weapon."
As the leaders met at a medieval castle overlooking the snow-covered capital and the Danube River, aides inked an agreement designed to counter nuclear terrorism, in part by restricting the availability of shoulder-fired missiles capable of bringing down aircraft.
"We agreed to accelerate our work to protect nuclear weapons and materials both in our two nations and around the world," Bush said.
Bush said the two discussed their differences, but stressed that countries in the 21st century will only be secure and prosperous if they have strong democracy and freedom.
"We may not always agree with each other, and we haven't over the last four years — that's for sure," Bush said, saying the items of agreement outnumber the disagreements.
High on Bush's agenda for the meeting were his concerns over Putin's moves to solidify his power and clamp down on civil and press liberties. Also drawing U.S. alarm are Putin's attempts to influence elections in Ukraine, Russian arms sales to Syria and the Kremlin's close ties to Iran.
It wasn't immediately clear how far the United States went in raising those issues with Putin, and Bush went into the discussions seeking to balance those concerns with a desire for continued cooperation on security issues such as terrorism, weapons proliferation and energy.
Putin said that the issue of weapons proliferation, particularly in Iran and North Korea, was a key topic.
"We share a common opinion in this regard and we are taking a similar approach," Putin said.
story.news.yahoo.com |
