Pre-Summit Posturing by Russia and US
With only days left to the start of the historic summit to be held in Slovakia during Bush’s Europe trip two serious news of actions came from the two capitals. The US Congress started an initiative to expel Russia from the G-8 organization. Moscow, meanwhile, took a provocative decision to develop cooperation with Iran in all fields and has reached an agreement with Tehran to add a second complex to a nuclear plant in Busehr province of Iran. Completing his talks in Moscow, Hassan Rowhani, Secretary-General of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced that certain agreements will be signed during Putin’s visit to Iran soon and that these agreements will include purchase of passenger planes and construction of the second bloc of the nuclear plant. Iran had already presented proposals regarding the construction of the so-called second bloc to Russia, but Moscow had previously remained silent due to reaction from the West.
The US Congress has started an initiation in order to have Russia expelled from the G-8 organization. A draft bill prepared by two senior names in the US Congress, Democrat Joe Lieberman and Republican John McCain, accuses the Moscow administration of restricting democratic life and freedom in the country. The file proposed to the Senate by McCain points out Putin’s attitudes regarding appointment of governors, freedom of media and businessmen in the country and asserts that he has tried to re-establish the Kremlin’s old traditional autocratic control over society. Senators requested Bush suspend Russia’s membership until it fulfills democratic requirements to retreat from this attitude.
The Bush-Putin summit is expected to be quite controversial. Against the backdrop of increasing provocations Russia is developing its cooperation with Iran and Syria despite all objections by Washington. Observers agree that Western backed "soft" revolutions in former Soviet territories are one of the crucial reasons for deteriorating relations between the two countries.
