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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldsnow who wrote (15659)	1/1/2000 9:38:00 PM
From: George Papadopoulos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

>era of the "Refrigerator War"..(You heard this new brilliant term here first! <gg> That's a good one. Wait, can I vote for "Freezer War"?<gg> But don't be so alarmed...Berger and Allbright already had contingency plans for Yeltsin's abrupt resignation<ggg> My feelings about Yeltsin. A master opportunist who stayed in power waaaay too long. But I do admire him for asking for forgiveness for the mistakes he made...now he gets to enjoy his immunity drinking vodka to death...but wait a minute, I hear some Western publishing house is forwarding a multimillion dollar advance fee for his "memoirs"....I can see it now...Boris, The Democracy Fighter. What I find interesting is that Putin would not "consent" to this deal if the army in Chechnya was going to have difficulties for too much longer. What could be a better campaign weapon other than Putin stepping over the corpses of some "vermin" (as he called them) Chechen bearded Islamic "terrorists"... We live in very interesting times...the honeymoon with the Russians is over. Kosovo was the final straw!

To: goldsnow who wrote (15659)	1/3/2000 4:57:00 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17770

Re: Gustave once exibited a profound misunderstanding of the process with Lebed theory...It is indeed a very elaborate process, but to simplify it so you can get grasp it <ggg> everyone threatening to the status quo of the "ruling elite" is purged, weakened, discredited...Little has changed, except "ruling elite" and "political wind" has merged-a tremendous earning for redemption of Russia as Great Nation....underlined by the profound blunder of Kosovo adventure... Don't count your chickens! The 'Family' (the Yeltsin clique) seems to be in a hurry to get as soon as possible to the March presidential poll.... For they know that Putin has bet the farm on one single issue: the Chechnyan campaign. But how is would-be President Putin performing in economics? in foreign relations (diplomacy, meetings with foreign leaders --especially the US Prez)? or in domestic security? After all, what would happen to Putin's allegedly brilliant prospects if another couple of bombings strike Moscow out of the blue??? Will he put the blame on those Chechnyan bandits again? Or maybe Luzhkov-on-the-sidelines will pop up and slam Putin's pointless show in Chechnya?? Eventually, Lebed might join the party and play off hawks against doves.... Happy New Year, Gus.

To: goldsnow who wrote (15659)	1/3/2000 10:27:00 AM
From: MNI	Respond to of 17770

Was it so simple - or was directly applied pressure used? Time for a few conspiracy theorists to enter the public stage. I was surprised also - not because I didn't think it was time to go for Boris Y. - but because I thought he had nothing to lose anymore, and would hold on for the last day even into death - like Melville's Captain chained himself on Moby Dick, but for different reason. It is sure that Putin had for long time premeditated the interim-presidency, and that is even displayed in Russian media (daggers of honor with Putins name engraved were not made in a few hours ...). Regards MNI. Yeltsin Didn't Want to Go, Gorbachev Says Jan 3 7:56am ET ROME (Reuters) - Boris Yeltsin was persuaded to quit as Russian president by his daughter, doctors and entourage, but he did not want to go, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said in an interview published Monday. Gorbachev told the Italian daily La Stampa that acting President Vladimir Putin was undeniably Yeltsin's man and nothing would change at the Kremlin under his rule. Business magnate Boris Berezovsky -- backed by Yeltsin's daughter Tatyana Dyachenko -- and the head of the Kremlin administration, Alexander Voloshin, were the key figures in convincing Yeltsin to resign, Gorbachev said. ``It's those three who devised the Putin operation and have now made the decisive move,'' said Gorbachev, who referred to a ''heated debate'' at the Kremlin over the presidency. ``Yeltsin did not want (to go). He resisted with all the strength he had left. They effectively threw him out. It seems the doctors were the decisive factor, after a consultation. They told him that any further effort would have been fatal. And, of course, he was assured of total immunity,'' he told La Stampa. Dyachenko had an official role as Yeltsin's image adviser, but Russian media say she played a far more influential role in advising him on policy. Berezovsky, one of Russia's business ``oligarchs'' and the financier of Yeltsin's 1996 re-election campaign, has said frequently that his influence on the Kremlin is overestimated. Yeltsin shocked the world Friday by announcing his early resignation. But though dogged by illness in recent years, he said he was not stepping down because of his health. Yeltsin's protege Putin, whom he immediately named as acting president, moved swiftly to sign a decree giving the outgoing Kremlin leader immunity from legal prosecution. ``Putin gave all the guarantees -- he's their man,'' said Gorbachev, long a bitter rival of Yeltsin. Gorbachev said the fact Yeltsin had been given immunity from prosecution meant nothing would change in the Kremlin. ``The regime won't change, there won't be a fight against corruption, the interests and the privileges of the oligarchy will be fully protected,'' he said. ``If it continues like this, Vladimir Putin will soon see his popularity wane because people will see they have been tricked.'' Gorbachev was skeptical about the fairness of presidential elections, expected on March 26. Prime Minister Putin emerged as the big winner in parliamentary elections held last month. ''After what we have seen in this election campaign and in this vote count, the idea of free and fair elections in Russia is simply ridiculous,'' said Gorbachev.