Because of Iran US cedes to Russia in Eurasia
Publication time: 22 June 2006, 20:36
The information coming the last weeks from the sources in the foreign policy departments of several Central and Eastern Europe countries testifies: the US administration has been changing its orientation in relation to Putin's regime. The White House has a desire for "a ceasefire" on the Russian direction in exchange for the arrangement on the Iranian problematics...
Allies asked to keep silence
According to the information received during the last weeks from the sources in the foreign policy departments of the several countries of Eastern and Central Europe at once, the US President and his nearest circle have made a basic decision on change of the dominated till now paradigm of the relationship with the Kremlin. As it is known, on June 6, the White House has officially announced Georges Bushe's intention to take part in the G-8 Summit, planned for July, 15-17 in St.-Petersburg. "Similarly to the previous summits, - it was said in the statement - the heads of "the Big Eight" will discuss continuation of cooperation on the wide range of issues in the areas of economy, security and policy". Behind this laconic phrase there was a vigorous diplomatic activity of the representatives of the administration and the Department of State, hidden from public eyes.
They had been carrying out the whole series of backstage contacts with the diplomats of those countries, that, in the opinion of Washington, are potentially capable if to not prevent the realization of the new American plans regarding the Kremlin, then at least, to create for this process an unfavourable public background - including the US, too. It had been intelligibly explained to the interlocutors of the Americans that the White House wishes the success of the St.-Petersburg summit, especially in the issue of drafting a common position in the matter of Iran.
That is why the American leadership has made a decision on reduction of pathos of the anti-Putin rhetoric concerning "the violations of basic principles of democracy and liberal economy in Russia". "Washington is no longer ready to keep a close watch to the aggressive policy of the power blackmail by the Kremlin, the same as regarding Khodorkovsky and the other suffered opponents of the Putin's regime" - the above specified sources informed. Bitterness of disappointment from the comprehension of the fact that the geopolitic support in the form of the Washington-Berlin Atlantic axes, that had seemed so reliable for such a long time, has now become nothing but the property of history. It is also worth considering that it is a question about the countries that in the 20th century had already suffered from the treacherous policy of the West that had handed them over on favour of the fascist and communist regimes.
Art of rethorics in diplomacy
Meanwhile, events of the last weeks fully confirm the fidelity of the abovementioned information. First of all, certainly,one should mention the performance of William Burns, the US ambassador in Moscow, on May 30 at a joint conference held by the Gorbachev-fund and Carnegy Centre. It is a question of a rather curious document showing a sample of art of diplomatic rhetorics. It abounds with the phrases like, " it would be a great nonsense - for the both parties - to forget about what prize the joint actions are promising". Words and word-combinations, like "cooperation", "together", "teamwork","interaction"and "joint actions" are used in different paragraphs thirteen times there. To not make out " the appeal on peace" to the Russian leadership incorporated in the ambassador's performance is simply not possible. As it comes to the end with a following phrase: "the Truth consists that we are necessary each other".
Only one and a half week after the performance of the American ambassador, Moscow has received the second similar "message" - this time from the US Minister of Finance John Snow. Having arrived to St.-Petersburg to the meeting of the heads of financial departments of the G-8 countries, Snow has declared that his country is willing Russia joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) and this long-awaited event to occur already in the nearest future.
Besides, the American minister has rather flatterly responded about the uninterrupted deliveries of the Russian gas to the western countries. It followed from his words that the ministers of finance of the G-8 have not seen any problems in the mutual relations of Russia with the neighbouring countries that concerns deliveries of power resources. The given statement probably has extremely pleased Ukrainians, Poles and the Balts...
Plagiarism, Georgian style
After John Snow's performance the events already developed really avalanchely. Only a day later, on the Russia's Independence Day, quite unexpectedly the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus addressed his Russian counterpart, greeting Putin with the event. Adamkus declared in his speech, that today Russia and Lithuania were connected with "working and dynamical relations", both states successfully cooperated in many areas, helping to create well-being of all Europe. "I do sincerely hope, - said Adamkus, - that the good-neighbourhood relations between our states will also further on increase their intensity, developing constructive political, economic and cultural cooperation between our peoples, strengthening an open, friendly and meaningful dialogue".
And already the next day, June 13, in the framwork of the St. Peterburg Economic forum a meeting between Putin and the President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, took place. And then it all of a sudden turned out that the Georgian guest, literally, had been engaged in plagiarism: he word for word had lifted the phrases from the speech of Adamkus. "We are ready to maintain with Russia congenial, close relations, - declared Saakashvili, - Both sides are intersted in the renewal of a meaningful dialogue, and I shall make everything we would reached concrete results". However, it seems that even more interesting there was a comment by the Russian press reacting to the abovementioned unexpected acknoledgement.
Referring to the "sources in the administration of the President of the Russian Federation", the news agency ITAR-TASS announced that the meeting between Putin and Saakashvili had been held on the request of the Georgian side, ànd its preludy had been an expression of "concern in worsening relations with Russia, expressed by the European and American partners and addressed to Georgia".
However, the Georgian president was not the only foreign visitor who has thrust a meeting with Putin within the frame of the St.-Petersburg forum. As it has appeared subsequently, Latvian prime-minister Aigars Kalvitis has also asked for an audience with the Russian leader and was received by Putin for about twenty minutes. By the way, Kalvitis has surprised visitors and organizers of a forum, having addressed those present with a salutatory word in Russian. And already on June, 19 in Moscow the Latvian ambassador Andris Teikmanis called a special press conference devoted, as it was said, to "discuss the current tendencies in the development of relations between Russia and Latvia".
"The glacial, cold period in attitudes of Latvia and Russia is coming to the end! " Teikmanis with enthusiasm informed the gathered journalists, having added that the dialogue between the two countries on the border agreement will resume most likely this November. According to a high-ranking Latvian diplomat it also has became known that in Latvia there was "a purpose as regards it relations with Russia". However, it was not told from where there the given purpose "had appeared". An elementary comparison with the situation in the relationship between Russia and Georgia suggested the influence of all the same "European and American partners".
And, finally, te last in a series of the Latvian curtseys towards the Kremlin became the information that appeared these days on the Latvian -Russian consultations that have taken place in the Russian capital regarding formation of the intergovernmental commission and the content of the future agreements on the economic cooperation between the two countries. In the official statement made in this connection by the head of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Artis Pabriks, already known notes were clearly heard that had sounded in the abovementioned performances of Adamkus and Saakashvili. "Latvia, - declared the minister, - is ready to constructive and pragmatic work to whenever possible faster reach the result".
It's time to conclude contracts
The information mentioned in the beginning of the publication indicates that in this case "the Kremlin source" of the ITAR-TASS knew what it was speaking about. Last weeks the American administration had been really actively explaining its new policy regarding Moscow not only to Lithuania and Georgia, but also to other countries. So, for instance, a similar "impact" has been made to Israel that consequently has decided to set in motion its plans of cooperation with Russia in power sphere. Earlier the Israeli leadership was afraid of biting reaction of Washington on the subject of too close cooperation with the Kremlin. However now, when Washington and Moscow have became friends, in the opinion of the people in the circle around the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a right moment has come for signing the strategic contract on the partnership with the Russian gas giant "Gazprom".
When the Vice-President is not right
In such a way the new paradigm of the American policy concerning the Russian leadership is rather clear. The only question still is the reasons of its occurrence. The main reason, most likely, is the promptly growing unpopularity of President Bush among the American public opinion. The continuous war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the rise in prices on mineral oil in the US place under a threat the chances of the Republican party to win the presidential elections that are no more behind the mountains. To change a situation to their own advantage, President Bush and the Republicans would need to demonstrante success of the American diplomacy on the direction of Iran. To reach this aim, support of Russia and the developed Western European nations, like Germany and Italy willing to maintain their strategic partnership with Moscow in the energy sphere, is needed.
No doubt, there are opponents of the of the concessions to Putin's Russia in the Washington administration like the Vice-President Dick Cheney.
However, the recent sensational performance of the latter in Vilnius, at a so-called forum of Baltic-Black Sea leaders, has only mislead the opponents of the Kremlin in the region. Appealing to Cheney's sharp criticism at Putin, those people do not understand that the position of the White House for the last some months has undergone a cardinal change, and that Dick Cheney from the "in" condition has smoothly passed into an "out" condition. Their attempt to defend the antiRussian motive in foreign policy at the moment will not cause anything, except for the irritation of the Washington administration fraught for them with serious political and economic troubles.
An obvious example of such a short-sighted behaviour is the statement of the Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip made on June, 13 - exactly the day of opening of the economic forum in St. Petersburg - about the necessity to bring down the Soviet era monument to the Russian soldiers-liberators of Tallinn from the Nazi invaders in the WWII.
Source: AXIS
http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2006/06/22/4819.shtml
