Russia and Central Asia News Digest
Russia Brings Mideast Road Map to the UN
On Oct. 30, Russia introduced a resolution, asking the United Nations Security Council to endorse the "Road Map" peace plan for Israel and Palestine. The plan, neglected by the United States, in deference to ongoing Israeli policies, was drafted by the "Quartet" of Russia, the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union. U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham nixed the Russian proposal. "We don't think the timing is right now, since there's no Palestinian government in place." Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov said, on the contrary, that Russia wanted the Security Council to approve the resolution next week, to coincide with the formation of the new Palestinian government.
The Washington Post quoted an unnamed U.S. official, who said that the Russian complaints "'came as a surprise,' but probably reflected exasperation by European and UN officials at U.S. handling of Mideast policy."
Lavrov's initiative should be seen in the overall strategic context of Russian President Vladimir Putin's moves against the Russian oligarchs, and Russia's perceptions of the war aims of the Chickenhawks in Washington, commented Lyndon LaRouche.
Putin: Transport Is an Integrator for Eurasia
Addressing a special session of the State Council, dedicated to the development of means of transportation, Oct. 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that, "the modern transport sector is not just a significant sector of the economy. Its reliability and efficiency ensure the country's territorial and economic integrity, the development of inter-regional ties, the formation of a healthy domestic market, and the rational development of our natural riches."
Furthermore, he said, "Our country's political and economic weight also depends on access to global transport corridors.... Communication is the decisive factor of successful international integration projects in the CIS, in Europe, and in the Asia-Pacific region."
Khodorkovsky Case: Yukos Oil Stock Frozen
Russian prosecutors froze a controlling portion of Yukos Oil stock shares on Oct. 30, meaning that owners cannot sell the shares during the criminal investigation of Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other company executives. The Prosecutor General's Office said that the sharesbelonging to offshore companies Hully enterprises of Cyprus and Yukos International Limited on the Isle of Manwere frozen "as collateral against material damage," in the upcoming tax-evasion and embezzlement cases. (See InDepth, "Russian President Backs Crackdown on Oil Magnate.")
Chubais: Our Kind-of Crimes Are Not Crimes
In a television interview just after the arrest of Yukos Oil CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Oct. 25, Anatoli Chubaishead of Russia's national power utility, but formerly in charge of privatization during the period when fortunes like Khodorkovsky's were madesaid he did not think Khodorkovsky was falsely accused. But, he argued, "Just take a look at these charges.... These are all economic crimes. These are not the types of serious crimes," for which a suspect is usually arrested during an investigation. Khodorkovsky had failed to respond to a summons.
Glass Houses and Stones
"Not one of the G-8 countries would allow itself to behave in such a way with one of its leading businessmen," leading U.S. Chickenhawk Richard Perle said on Oct. 29. Perle was evidently struck by the fact that none of the Enron thieves, or his Halliburton pals, is in jail, despite the exposure of their crimes. As punishment for using the rule of law against the corporate criminals, Perle said he hoped that, "the U.S. Administration will not allow Russian companies to return" to Iraq, which the U.S. has "liberated from the monstrous regime of Saddam Hussein with which Russians had fruitfully cooperated for a long time."
Russian President Putin sees the Enron parallel differently. At an Oct. 31 roundtable meeting with Western and Russian investment bankers, Putin said that much of the criticism about the arrest of Yukos CEO Khodorkovsky was an overreaction. The Americans should understand what Russian law enforcement agencies are doing, he added, given their experience with the case of Enron, in which top executives were investigated, and several of them arrested, because they broke the law and damaged the general economy.
Russians Welcome European Efforts To Cool Iran Controversy
Russia's nuclear cooperation with Iran is fully transparent, stated State Duma Security Committee Deputy Chairman Victor Ilyukin on Oct. 27 in Moscow. He added, "Given that Iran is Russia's most significant partner in the region, Russia is not willing to witness any clashes in the country." In reference to the recent diplomatic mission of the three European foreign ministers, which led to a breakthrough on the nuclear issue, he said, "The visit of European ministers to Iran proved their reluctance to repeat Iraq's crisis in the international scene.
Professor Bondarevsky Commemorated at Russian Academy of Sciences
On Oct. 22, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held a memorial meeting on the life and work of Prof. Grigori Bondarevsky, a beloved friend of many at EIR. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Anatoly Khazanov, Director of the Department of International Relations of the Institute. On Sept. 24, a commemorative meeting was held at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, and another will be held in Kuwait in February.
At all these meetings, EIR's tribute to the professor, "Murder of a Legend," was distributed by the professor's daughter. The EIR articles, especially that by Mark Burdman, have brought great praise, she said, because of their appreciation of the very special qualities of Professor Bondarevsky's work. There is a request to reproduce the EIR articles in a book to be published by the Institute of Oriental Studies, and others are also interested in reproducing these articles.
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