Putin Contradicts Bush - Iran Is No Danger

[TonyGosling]

Putin backs Iran's nuclear program
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=27496&sectionid=351020104
Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:25:42

Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Iran's peaceful nuclear program saying the Caspian Sea littoral states are committed to the NPT.

"Russia and Iran have cooperation in various fields including aerospace. The Russian organization in charge of nuclear cooperation with Tehran, help Iran develop its peaceful nuclear program," Putin told a news conference which marked the end of the Caspian Sea littoral states summit.

He said all countries attending the summit were committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and backed nuclear activities for peaceful purposes.

The second summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states ended in Tehran on Tuesday in which the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan signed an agreement.

They also agreed to hold a joint economic conference in Moscow with the participation of the states.

Bush: Iran may cause WWIII
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=27496&sectionid=351020104
Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:59:02

US President George W. Bush has claimed that a World War III is possible, if the Islamic Republic of Iran acquires nuclear technology.

"I'm looking forward to getting President Putin's read-out from the meeting (with Iranian officials in Tehran)," said Bush in a press conference Wednesday, claiming he was not worried by the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow.

As President Putin has warned the White House against any military actions against the Islamic Republic, President Bush is trying to rally Moscow's support for tougher measures against Tehran.

"It seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them- the Iranian nation- from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," said Bush, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons.

Iran says its nuclear activities are solely aimed at peaceful purposes. Both Russia and the IEAE have stressed that there is no evidence to prove Iran is developing nuclear weaponry.

[karlos]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7050237.stm

Putin is starting to look more and more impressive as Russian leader.
He is riding high in all the opinion polls with approval ratings of 80%
He has restored the economy to one of the fastest growth rates anywhere in the world of 9% per annum.
He has brought peace to the previously gangster ridden streets of the major cities.
And now he comes out firmly against the war BOTH in Iraq and the proposed invasion of Iran.

This gentleman really tells it like it is without any faffing around:

Putin wants US date to quit Iraq


Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the US should set a date for a withdrawal from Iraq. He was speaking during a live televised question-and-answer session with the public covering both domestic and foreign policy issues.

Mr Putin said that as long as the US avoided setting a pull-out date, the Iraqi leadership "won't rush to build up its own security forces". He also said Russia planned "grandiose" improvements to its armed forces.

New missile technology and an overhaul of the nuclear arsenal were also planned, he said.

Mr Putin told viewers that the US presence in Iraq was motivated in part by a desire to "establish control of the country's oil reserves".

But he said the US was now engaged in a "pointless" battle against a popular uprising. "One can wipe off a political map some tyrannical regime... but it's absolutely pointless to fight with a people," he said.

He assured his audience that Russia, unlike Iraq, was militarily strong enough to defend its territory and its natural resources. Mr Putin also warned that Russia would boost its deployment of weapons if Washington went ahead with plans to build a missile shield.

Moscow and Washington have already argued over US plans to build missile bases in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union's sphere of influence.

Other topics discussed by the Russian leader included the economy and the threat of terrorism.

He said he was committed to cutting inflation and pointed to a drop in recorded terror attacks as proof his security policy was bearing fruit.

Russians submitted more than one million questions by telephone, text messages or via the internet, the Kremlin said. Thursday's phone-in comes amid growing speculation about Mr Putin's plans after his second presidential term ends in March.

But Mr Putin, who is considering becoming prime minister when he steps down, said he was against changing the balance of power between president and government. "It is not expedient to take any powers away from the government or to load more powers" on the government, Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

Under the Russian constitution, Mr Putin is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term as president, and there has been speculation that he will use the premiership to retain power. He said he had accepted a proposal by the pro-Kremlin United Russia to head the party's list in December's parliamentary election - a move that would guarantee him a seat in the next parliament.

This is the sixth time Mr Putin has done the phone-in since coming to office.
Bravo.

[TonyGosling]

Putin compares U.S. missile defense plans with 1962 Cuban crisis
21:44 | 26/ 10/ 2007
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071026/85635882.html

MAFRA, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin compared on Friday U.S. missile defense system plans for Central Europe with the 1962 Cuban crisis.

Speaking at a news conference following the Russia-EU summit in Portugal, the president said the plans, announced in January, to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic were reminiscent of the political crisis caused by the Soviet Union's missile bases in Cuba in 1962.


http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/lae/html/sky_cuba.htm



"The situation is quite similar technologically for us. We have withdrawn the remains of bases from Vietnam and Cuba, but such threats are being created near our borders," Putin said.

The president drew attention to the fact that the decision to deploy missile defense system facilities close to Russia was preceded by a U.S. withdrawal from a defense treaty. President Putin was apparently referring to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty which the U.S., unlike Russia, abandoned in 2002.

Although Washington claims the missile shield is needed to counter possible missile strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea, Moscow, which has already been angered by NATO's eastward expansion in recent years, has consistently stated the move would be a threat to Russia's security and a destabilizing factor for Europe.