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Putin Says U.S. Wants Iraq's Oil
By Associated Press
10/18/07 "AP" -- --- MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin, in his
latest jab at Washington, suggested Thursday that the U.S.
military campaign in Iraq was a "pointless" battle against the
Iraqi people, aimed in part at seizing the country's oil
reserves.
The Russian leader was responding to one of dozens of questions
from the public in an annual televised Q&A session, his sixth
since taking office in 2000. The event broadcast live on
state-controlled TV channels and radio stations consisted
largely of people from around the country quizzing Mr. Putin
mainly on such bread-and-butter issues as pensions, public
workers' salaries and school funding.
Mr. Putin also noted that Russia will have a different president
next year, reaffirming his plans to step aside but leaving
unclear what exact role he might have. With just two months
remaining before crucial parliamentary elections -- and five
before presidential elections -- speculation has mounted about
Mr. Putin's plans once his second, consecutive term ends in
March.
"In 2008, in the Kremlin there will be a different person," Mr.
Putin said. But he added that he expects no radical policy
changes from his successor. The next president should "keep the
stable course of our nation and continuity in realizing the
plans that have been devised in recent years," he said.
A 'Sort of Political Erotica'
The most internationally resonating remarks might have come when
a mechanic from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk asked Mr. Putin
about comments he said were made some years ago by former U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who suggested that
Siberia had too many natural resources to belong to one country.
"I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their
heads. This, in my view, is the sort of political erotica that
might satisfy a person but hardly leads to a positive result,"
Mr. Putin responded. "The best example of that are the events in
Iraq -- a small country that can hardly defend itself and which
possesses huge oil reserves. And we see what's going on there.
They've learned to shoot there, but they are not managing to
bring order."
"One can wipe off a political map some tyrannical regime … but
it's absolutely pointless to fight with a people," he said.
"Russia, thank God, isn't Iraq. It has enough strength and power
to defend itself and its interests, both on its territory and in
other parts of the world."
Mr. Putin went on to say he believes one of the U.S. "goals is
to establish control of the country's oil reserves," and that a
concrete date must be set for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Unless such a date is set, he added in an echo of some U.S. war
critics, "the Iraqi leadership, feeling [safe] under the
reliable American umbrella, will not hurry to develop its own
armed and law enforcement forces."
Deft Display of Statistics
In recent months, Mr. Putin has increasingly confronted U.S.
foreign policy, deepening the chill between Washington and
Moscow. Among other things, he has questioned the U.S. push for
sanctions against Iran for its nuclear programs, and this week
he became the first Russian leader to visit Iran since World War
II.
Threats against Iran, he said during the television interview,
are "harmful for international relations because dialogue with
states ... is always more promising."
Mr. Putin also again warned against U.S. efforts to put elements
of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, one of the
touchiest points of dispute for the U.S. and Russia. He said
U.S. officials were genuinely considering Russian proposals to
resolve the dispute but that "if a decision is made without
taking Russia's opinion into account, then we will certainly
take steps in response, to ensure the security of Russian
citizens."
The Russian leader opened the session with a deft display of
arcane statistics, reeling off a string of numbers to show the
improvement in Russia's economy during his seven years in
office. Much of the economic growth has been due to high world
oil prices. He also said the country's birth rate was the
highest it has been in 16 years and that the death rate was the
lowest since 1999.
A sampling of questions listed on a Web site set up by the
broadcasters before the Q&A session ranged from concerns about
salaries for public-sector workers to the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Black Sea town of Sochi to environmental worries.
Mr. Putin, who is widely popular among Russians for the
stability and relative prosperity during his regime, has sought
to use phone-ins along with tightly choreographed, lavish
television coverage to project the image of a leader responding
directly to voters' concerns.
Copyright © 2007 Associated Press
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