From CNN's Matthew Chance
SOCHI, Russia (CNN) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential election candidates.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's Matthew Chance in the Black Sea city of Sochi Thursday, Putin said the U.S. had encouraged Georgia to attack the autonomous region of South Ossetia.
Putin told CNN his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate -- Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are competing to succeed George W. Bush -- although he presented no evidence to back it up.
"U.S. citizens were indeed in the area in conflict," Putin said. "They were acting in implementing those orders doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader." Watch Putin accuse the United States 禄
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino blasted Putin's statements, saying they were "patently false."
"To suggest that the United States orchestrated this on behalf of a political candidate just sounds not rational," she said.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood concurred, and labeled Putin's statements as "ludicrous."
"Russia is responsible for the crisis," Wood said in an off-camera meeting with reporters in Washington on Thursday. "For the Russians to say they are not responsible for what happened in Georgia is ludicrous. ... Russia is to blame for this crisis and the world is responding to what Russia has done."
When told that many diplomats in the United States and Europe blame Russia for provoking the conflict and for invading Georgia, Putin said Russia had no choice but to invade Georgia after dozens of its peacekeepers in South Ossetia were killed. He told Chance it was to avert a human calamity. iReport.com: First-person accounts from the center of the conflict
The former Russian president, still considered the most powerful man in the country, said he was disappointed the U.S. had not done more to stop Georgia's attack.
Putin recalled he was watching the situation in Georgia and South Ossetia unfold when he was at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on August 8.
He said he spoke to U.S. President George W. Bush, also attending, who told the Russian prime minister he didn't want war -- but Putin spoke to CNN of his disappointment that the U.S. administration didn't do more to stop Georgia early in the conflict.
Also Thursday Putin announced economic measures which he said were unrelated to the fighting with Georgia. Nineteen U.S. poultry meat companies would be banned from exporting their products to Russia because they had failed health and safety tests, and 29 other companies had been warned to improve their standards or face the same ban, Putin said.
Putin said Russia's health and agricultural ministries had randomly tested the poultry products and found them to be full of antibiotics and arsenic.
While Putin repeated that the bans were not related to the Georgian conflict, they indicate the measures some Western countries -- particularly in Europe -- fear if Russia goes on a diplomatic offensive. Watch analysis of Russia's relationship with the West. 禄
Russia is trying to counterbalance mounting pressure from the West over its military action in Georgia and its recognition of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
But Russia's hopes of winning international support for its actions in Georgia were dashed Thursday, when China and other Asian nations expressed concern about tension in the region.
The joint declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, said the countries hoped any further conflict could be resolved peacefully. Watch more on rising tensions between Russia and the West. 禄
"The presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of respect for historic and cultural traditions of every country and efforts aimed at preserving the unity of a state and its territorial integrity," the declaration said, The Associated Press reported.
"Placing the emphasis exclusively on the use of force has no prospects and hinders a comprehensive settlement of local conflicts," AP reported the group as saying.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had appealed to the SCO at a summit in Tajikistan Thursday to support its actions, saying it would serve as a "serious signal for those who are trying to justify the aggression."Watch Medvedev explain his reasoning to CNN 禄
On Wednesday a U.S. ship carrying aid docked in Georgia, while Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband traveled to the Ukraine, which is worried about Russia's intentions in the region, to offer the UK's support.
Miliband equated Moscow's offensive in Georgia with the Soviet tanks that invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring democratic reforms in 1968, and demanded Don't believe a former KGB Colonel like Putin who is a notorious liar. Yes so McCain would have something to talk about.
I have never heard of a President that was on vacation start a war. Georgia President and many of his law makers were on vacation when it happened. also republicans are responsible for the sun going up and down. Rubbish. I really don't think so... No - Quite simply, Russia attacked and killed innocent Georgians. Russia is just trying to blame these murders and their lawlessness on others! Sadly US liberals have bought into this rhetoric - hook, line and sinker!
Peace man... where is my mesotheleoma lawyer.... and bush caused hurricane katrina too... The republicans hold about as much responsibility for Russia's invasion as the democrats hold for the black plague. The only reason Putin is saying things like that is because of how hard he's trying to scrounge up some international support, or failing that, at least fling some mud America's way. Yup, Republicans are responsible for the conflict, and also the AIDS virus, the 2004 tsunami, the cost of oil, Katrina, earthquakes in California, Herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, Down's Syndrome, Kennedy's tumor, and sudden infant death syndrome...
Oh, and don't forget 9/11. Republicans are to blame for that, too...
Republicans are also the reason my **** stinks... Buls**t, I am from Georgia and can tell you that my country has rich experience of relationship with putin and his lies. He made it up to discredit McCain, as Russian are extremely afraid of him becoming next president. Putin Knows that whoever becomes US president, neither of them will support Russians action, but from two "Evils" (for him), he is trying to choose less. For example If obama wins, he mostly will be occupied with doing some home politics, orientating on health, care, economic and won't be so active on international arena, that gives Russia a chance to gain influence while US is busy with it's inner problems, but if McCain is a president Russia won't be able to spread it's influence as McCain is going to support US allies In Europe and Whole word, that Russia imagines as it's potential servants (as one Russian politician said)...
So it is clear that putin doesn't want McCain to win, so he can do his bad things and not be criticized or even answered harshly for that. If Americans believe that McCain orchestrated with Georgia-Russian war, it means that deaths of innocent people is on his hands, that discredits him!
DOn't Believe to KGB, Putin is Really great at lying, Trust me I am Georgian and that's why i Know it! well I just heard that McCain supports defending our "allies" in his campaign. That guy has no idea that his actions can start world war 3 and he should not be elected as president. As he is too aggresive in his campaign clearly shows he will be an aggressive president. It seems like US are pretty good at turning the table as Georgia where the ones to attack first then russia defended. But Bush administration accused russia that they invaded with aggression into georgia. I think is about territory. If russia is right, then ossetia will join back to russia but US will not let that happen as samething as tibet. Us strategy is to break up big countries into smaller pieces and build missiles around them. Missiles defense? how you protect missiles from coming in? you shoot missiles at them and can be use as offense too. As far as the conflict, I think they should let the ossetia people vote for their independence or joining back to russia. OK. It is interesting to point out that the US presence had been acknowledged by Georgia and US before the conflict. It is also important to point out that this was military presence and that it was noted 1 week before the conflict. The US solders provided training and supplies to Georgia.
I don't think that it was done by the republicans to promote McCain, but i do seriously think that the US gave orders to Georgia to attack.
Why do i think this?
well because Russia had previously warned Georgia that if it was to use any military action on the break away region of OS it will move its forces in. This was stated a number of times, but Georgia ignored this. I find it hard to believe that Georgia would continue even tho such strong words from Russia, unless it had backing from the US, which in turn would have offered support, so that georgia would gain materially or Politically (NATO).
Then there were also confirmed reports on both sides Russian and USA that, a US solider was captured by the Russian forces, however he was released within 4 hours to prevent further escalation of tensions with the US. A list of countries Russia has threatened to bomb in the last seven days . . . Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, and Turkey . . . a list of countries that laughed in their face . . . to long for this forum . . . their desperate and have resorted to claims of poisoned chicken . . . three words to describe the situation . . . UN FREAKIN BELIEVABLE. Oh, boy, This is as bad as "the devil made me do it." If we can blame Bush for THIS, we can blame him for anything. There's gotta be some way I can blame W. for my unplanned pregnancy, or the car crash I got into last night that the police deemed was my fault.
Please, people, wake up and think for yourselves. Putin is a liar. Get that through your head. |
