November 21, 200421 yr Official explains project, downplays significance The Associated Press Updated: 9:52 a.m. ET Nov. 20, 2004 UNITED NATIONS - Russia?s new nuclear missile system is purely defensive and part of the country?s program to upgrade its military, Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said the country is developing a new ?state-of-the-art? nuclear missile system unlike any weapon held by other countries. He said it will be deployed ?in the near future? but gave no details. ?It?s a military issue, of course,? Fedotov told The Associated Press on Friday when asked about the new missiles. ?Any armed forces needs a kind of upgrading, so it?s a natural process.? 'It's totally defensive' The Russian minister was asked why the country was trying to improve its nuclear capabilities at a time when the international community is working to get countries like North Korea and Iran to abandon their nuclear programs. ?Of course it is necessary to improve missile system in order to avoid any accidents. This is standard procedure,? Fedotov said. Fedotov said that ?as everything we have, it?s totally defensive.? White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President Bush and Putin had discussed the issue previously. He suggested that close ties between the two leaders makes alarm unnecessary. But he didn?t eliminate Washington?s concern. ?We have a very different relationship than we did in the Cold War,? he said. ?The fact that we do have a good relationship enables us to speak very directly to our Russian friends.? Plain speaking Christopher Langton, head of defense analysis at London?s International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Putin?s comments appeared to be the first time that Russian officials had spoken publicly about a new deterrent, though he had no idea what the system might be. Putin has made clear that improving the armed forces, which declined after the breakup of the Soviet Union, is a priority. In the past year, Russia defense officials have made several announcements about new weapons. Fedotov was in New York for a series of meetings and to introduce a General Assembly resolution to commemorate next year?s 60th anniversary of the end of fighting in World War II?s European theater.
November 21, 200421 yr Sure. Putin just wants to make Russia a superpower again. I hope he chokes on a potato.
November 22, 200421 yr hey, the iranians preferred bush, too. 619154[/snapback] Really, did you speak to their leaders to come to this conclusion or did you read it in the guardian?
November 23, 200421 yr hey, the iranians preferred bush, too. 619154[/snapback] Really, did you speak to their leaders to come to this conclusion or did you read it in the guardian? 619748[/snapback] the iranians = the people of iran i heard the fact floated on fox news...they (not positive who "they" is) surveyed people in diff countries about their reactions to the results of hte US election, and iran was the only country in the islamic world where most respondents were pleased with the outcome of the election. the guy who dropped the fact spun it to mean that the people of iran want to be liberated, though i don't exactly buy that. imo, it could reflect the perception of dems vs. repubs in iran, where dems are seen less favorably (tougher on human rights, carter, etc). it might also reflect how they feel about bush taking down arch-rival saddam hussein. before the election, i know there was another intl coordinated poll done by a canadian newspaper in concert with newspapers of diff countries asking people who they preferred--bush or kerry. in that one, of the countries surveyed, i remember bush winning russia and israel.
November 23, 200421 yr I read an article about countries that wanted Kerry to win. Here's a list: China, England, Germany, Japan, and there were others I can't remember. Only Russia and Israel wanted Bush to win, and I can understand their reasoning.
November 24, 200421 yr I read an article about countries that wanted Kerry to win. Here's a list: China, England, Germany, Japan, and there were others I can't remember. Only Russia and Israel wanted Bush to win, and I can understand their reasoning. 620375[/snapback] Do you remmeber where that was b/c i heard the japanese perferred bush. By the way thanks for clarifying shaqman
November 24, 200421 yr It was reported that Japanese PM Koizumi (sp?) expressed support for the President, although I assume the people of Japan in general preferred Kerry as president.
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