Hillary Rodham Clinton participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. (Mikhail Metzel/Associated Press)
And don't tell me it is cold over there, not in this age of global warming.
Did make the whole trip worth it, though.
"US, Russia clash over Iran plant; Tehran’s goals still unclear, Clinton says" by Robert Burns, Associated Press | March 19, 2010
MOSCOW — US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Russian counterpart clashed openly yesterday over the planned launch this summer of Iran’s first nuclear power plant, highlighting a split in views over how to steer Iran away from nuclear weapons.
Yeah, well, GOOD THING the Iranians AIN'T BUILDING ONE!!!!
Related: Russia Rebuffs Clinton
They make themselves clear?
Clinton did not directly criticize the long-delayed project, built by Russians, but said the Obama administration is opposed to the timing of the nuclear plant’s start-up. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia announced the summer startup plans earlier yesterday, shortly after Clinton arrived for a two-day visit.
Hey, they signed a contract.
You know what a contract is, right, administration?
They are things you must uphold for bank bonuses but not auto workers.
The nuclear plant is an example of Russian-Iranian economic ties and technical cooperation, on terms that have long made the United States uncomfortable. It was a background issue during a difficult period in US-Russian relations last year and in the ongoing US-led effort to increase United Nations economic penalties against Iran over suspicions that part of its nuclear program is aimed at building a bomb.
Putin’s announcement adds another complication to the already long list of issues on which Clinton and her Russian hosts do not agree. Clinton is meeting with Putin today.
At a news conference with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after talks on a wide range of issues, Clinton told reporters that Iran, while entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, must reassure the world that it is not trying to build a nuclear weapon.
So when do we get one from ISRAEL?
See: Netanyahu To The West–Destroy Iran Before Israel Destroys You
Oh.
“In the absence of those reassurances, we think it would be premature to go forward with any project at this time, because we want to send an unequivocal message to the Iranians,’’ she said.
I'm sure that comment went over well.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia held talks on several issues. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/ Associated Press)
Well, maybe not.
What an arrogant embarrassment she is to AmeriKa.
Lavrov forcefully asserted that, whatever the US concerns, his country will finish its work on the Bushehr nuclear power plant shortly.
“The project will be completed,’’ Lavrov said. “We are now in the final stage, and this nuclear power plant will be launched. It will be put into operation, it will be functioning, producing power.’’
He added that the plant will operate under strict compliance with requirements of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency.
That's right; it is a POWER PLANT, nothing more!!!
Also, Lavrov and Clinton asserted to reporters that US-Russian negotiations on a new treaty to reduce long-range nuclear weapons are close to completion. The accord would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, which expired in December.
Lavrov said the two sides now are discussing the time and place for President Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia to sign the new deal, which also must be ratified by each country’s legislature.
“We are now at the finish line,’’ Lavrov said.
Clinton was a bit more circumspect.
“We have a saying in the United States: ‘Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,’’’ she said. “And that means that we are beginning our discussions about where and when our two presidents will sign the START agreement. But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. First, our negotiators have to sign on the dotted line.’’
Okay, PLEASE REMEMBER HER SAYING THAT, readers!!
Related: Russian Rapprochement?
Not so fast, not so fast!
"US moving slowly on issue of Europe-based nuclear weapons" by Robert Burns, Associated Press | March 15, 2010
WASHINGTON — The United States is taking a go-slow approach on one of the touchiest and least discussed national security issues: whether to remove the last remaining Cold War-era US nuclear weapons in Europe.
Some officials in Germany and other US allies in Europe are advocating a withdrawal, citing President Obama’s call last year for a nuclear-free world.
Besides, who wants THOSE TARGETS on THEIR SOIL?
But the United States is putting off an early decision, preferring to consult within NATO, starting at a meeting of foreign ministers in April that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to attend, according to several Obama administration officials.
The officials discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because details are secret and the administration is in the midst of an internal review of the role and purpose of the US nuclear arsenal. The estimated 200 weapons in Europe are a fraction of that total.
What, we have nuclear weapons? And Iran does not?
WTF?!!!
Also see: One Idiot Replaced Another
So Iran would never, ever attack us and for good reason, huh?
And WHO BENEFITS from a FALSE FLAG blamed on IRAN, Israel?
Results of the review, originally due to Congress in December, have been delayed and now aren’t expected before April. The study, known as the Nuclear Posture Review, is expected to call for a reduced role for nuclear weapons in US national security strategy.
How about NO ROLE, how does that sound!?
We already dropped two of them on a helpless population; why add to the mass-murdering war crimes?
Nuclear bombs in Europe are a sensitive subject because they reflect a longstanding US military and political commitment to the defense of its European allies, who have relied on the US weapons as an alternative to developing their own nuclear weapons....
One apparent impediment to an early withdrawal of the weapons is the view of newer members of NATO — those closer to Russia, such as the Baltic states. They see the US weapons as a symbol of a NATO guarantee of their territorial integrity.I'm not expecting much if anything then, readers.
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So how was that meeting with Putin?
"Clinton visit with Putin underscores US-Russia tensions; Concerns about trade, sanctions on Iran arise" by Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post | March 20, 2010
MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin greeted Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday with a volley of complaints about trade, while another top Russian official voiced caution about the Obama administration’s campaign for tough sanctions on Iran.
:-)
Isn't it SAD that WE NEED the Russians to SAVE US FROM OUR SELVES, America?
Clinton’s meetings, at the end of a two-day trip, reflected continuing tensions in the US-Russia relationship a year after the Obama administration vowed to “reset’’ the efforts. Although the two sides have moved closer on issues ranging from arms control to Afghanistan, cooperation remains difficult.
Putin agreed only at the last minute to receive Clinton and used what was supposed to be a ceremonial photo op at his ornate dacha outside Moscow to criticize US sanctions and trade laws in front of dozens of local and visiting reporters.
His dacha!!
Related: Russian Bed and Breakfast
She isn't staying that long.
The prime minister — considered by many to be the real power in Russia — greeted Clinton in their first meeting since she became secretary of state. Then, sitting across from her in a gilt-edged chair, he launched into a list of complaints about the drop in US trade during the economic crisis, Russia’s difficulties in joining the World Trade Organization, and US sanctions that have affected Russian companies. The latter subject appeared to refer to penalties on firms doing business with Iran, Syria, and North Korea.
I hope she got an earful!!
Clinton looked unfazed by the blunt lecture.
Translation: She wasn't listening.
Her aides attributed Putin’s criticisms to the desire of a politician to perform for the Russian TV cameras on a domestically important issue.
Oh, like the POLITICIANS OVER HERE in AmeriKa!!!!
She highlighted how the two sides were coming close to a nuclear arms-control agreement and mentioned a recent visit by high-tech executives to Russia organized by the State Department and White House.
WTF?
Yesterday she was saying don't count your eggs and here she is counting them!
“If we continue to work together, we can move beyond the problems to greater opportunities,’’ she said.
Like what, another war?
Clinton’s agenda in Moscow was dominated by the almost complete agreement to reduce each side’s deployed long-range nuclear weapons and the US-led drive for tough sanctions on Iran.
In a news conference earlier yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed caution about sanctions on Iran, saying the Kremlin was not alarmed by the Islamic republic’s nuclear program and wanted to avoid “aggressive’’ penalties.
Neither am I. I stopped believing MSM and USraeli lies long ago.
The remarks highlighted the limits the Obama administration could face in getting more sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council. One of Clinton’s top aides, Undersecretary of State William Burns, told reporters Wednesday that the US government felt “a sense of urgency’’ about Iran’s nuclear program and that “it’s time to demonstrate that there are consequences.’’
I do NOT LIKE THAT KIND of TALK!!
And Netanyahu was just over here, huh?
So WHEN does the ATTACK BEGIN, Burns?
But Lavrov told a news conference that the reports published regularly by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran “do not give reasons for any sort of alarms.’’
Translation: The Russians are NOT GOING ALONG!
He spoke just minutes after Clinton said almost the opposite, pointing to the latest IAEA report, the first to explicitly suggest that Iran was trying to build a bomb.
That is because she is a LIAR for Israel!
Lavrov acknowledged that the Kremlin was unhappy with Iran’s latest actions — which include rejecting a Russian-backed plan aimed at quickly reducing the Islamic republic’s stockpile of enriched uranium. And sanctions were sometimes “impossible to avoid,’’ he said through a translator, quoting a previous comment by President Dmitry Medvedev.
But sanctions “must not be aggressive, they must not paralyze’’ the Iranian state and should not target the population or have humanitarian consequences, he said.
Related: Iran is Paranoid
Looks like you and China will need to veto then.
Instead, the penalties should be focused on “decision-makers,’’ he said.
Can SOMEONE SLAP SANCTIONS on the LEADERS here, please!
Analysts say the Russian government has been torn over the sanctions issue.
Like I'm going to believe the agenda-pushing Zionist War Daily running psy-ops prop so Americans will think Russia is divided and this will be easy. Seen it before, folks.
On the one hand, it was stung to discover Iran’s furtive work on a nuclear program last year and angered by the country’s rejection of international offers to ensure its enriched uranium is used for peaceful purposes.
But powerful lobbies close to the Russian government are involved in the sale of weapons and nuclear energy equipment to Iran and don’t want to lose that trade, analysts say.
Yeah, good thing America never takes economics into consideration when we are pushing weaponry, huh?
Despite Lavrov’s reluctant tone on sanctions, Clinton aides took heart at his comments.
It's called DELUSION.
They noted he had until recently been one of the harshest critics of such penalties among senior Russian officials.
Clinton told the news conference that US efforts to get a sanctions resolution “are making progress’’ and that “we expect to reach consensus around an appropriate response.’’
And if they don't go along then our leaders will declare the U.N. a failure (seems like we already did that once before with their neighbor to the west) and ATTACK ANYWAY!
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And about that SLOW ARMS DEAL!
"US, Russia agree to slash nuclear arms; Treaty also puts new inspection regime in place" by Peter Baker and Ellen Barry, New York Times | March 25, 2010
WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia have broken a logjam in arms control negotiations and expect to sign a treaty next month to slash their nuclear arsenals to the lowest levels in half a century, officials in both nations said yesterday....
Hey, if true, I am ALL FOR IT!
Just make sure ISRAEL does NOT KEEP ANY!!
The treaty will not restrict American plans for missile defense based in Europe.
A separate issue or.... ?
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitri Medvedev plan to talk tomorrow to finalize the agreement, but officials said they were optimistic that the deal was nearly done. The two sides have begun preparing for a signing ceremony in Prague on April 8, timing it to mark the anniversary of the first meeting between the two presidents as well as Obama’s speech in the Czech capital outlining his vision for eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons.
Well, not really.
Related: Obama Goes Nuclear
You will, of course, NEVER, EVER USE THEM, right, Obomber?
The new treaty represents perhaps the most concrete foreign policy achievement for Obama since he took office 14 months ago and the most significant result of his effort to reset the troubled relationship with Russia.
I can already envision the MSM coverage.
The administration wants to use the agreement to build momentum for an international nuclear summit meeting in Washington just days after the signing ceremony and a more ambitious round of arms cuts later in his term.
“This gives a boost’’ to the administration’s efforts to build better ties to Russia, said Steven Pifer, a top State Department official under President George W. Bush who specialized in Russia and arms control issues. “There’s still a ways to go, and there are still difficult issues. But the last six months, it seems to be going pretty well, and this adds to the positive in the relationship.’’
So why the lies about the deal from the American government, readers?
Is CONCEALMENT simply a REFLEX ACTION NOW because of all the LYING!?
And nothing like seeing the NYT turning to the Bush administration for sourcing, 'eh?
More broadly, the White House hopes the treaty will build on the president’s victory in the fight to overhaul health care, demonstrating progress on both the international and domestic fronts after months of frustration over unmet goals....
Just so you know where the MSM is going on all this.
Next up, rising polls, despite the fact that Americans could care less about this nebulous threat they have been living under for 50+ years.
Some nuke treaty with Russia isn't going to make us forget the HEALTH CARE FIASCO and the EXPANDING WARS!!
Under the new pact, according to people briefed on it in Washington and Moscow, within seven years each side would have to cut its deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 from the 2,200 now allowed. Each side would cut the total number of launchers to 800 from 1,600 now permitted. The number of nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers would be capped at 700 each.
But no one else can have one.
Actually, according the the NPT would should be getting rid of them completely and helping Iran with nuclear power, but when is the last time the rogue regime of AmeriKa honored anything?
Neither the White House nor the Kremlin formally announced the agreement yesterday, pending the final telephone call between the presidents. A Kremlin official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was an agreement on the text of the pact, although not all the wording had been finalized. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said, “We’re very close.’’
Arms control proponents hailed the progress. Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, called it “the first truly post-Cold War nuclear arms reduction treaty.’’ Richard Burt, a former negotiator who now heads a disarmament advocacy group called Global Zero, said that the two presidents “took a major step toward achieving their goal of global zero.’’
That also means Israel, right?
The breakthrough ended nearly a year of tumultuous negotiations as the two sides quarreled over verifying compliance, sharing telemetry, and limiting missile defense programs.
I guess that wasn't such a big deal after all, huh?
