Main focus of Friday, April 27, 2007

Putin threatens NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin's state-of-nation address, delivered on April 26th, has caused a stir in Europe. He threatened that Russia would unilaterally withdraw from the CFE Treaty on conventional forces in Europe, which was signed in 1990. Among other things, he gave the US's plans for a missile defence system in Eastern Europe as the reason for this move.

La Vanguardia - Spain

"Vladimir Putin provoked surprise yesterday by threatening to renounce the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty ... ", explains the daily. "Using a tone reminiscent of the cold war, the Russian president not only accused certain European countries of never ratifying this treaty, but of rearming themselves on 'the borders' of Russia. This is a direct allusion to the project of an antimissile shield that the Unites States are planning to set-up in the Czech Republic and Poland. Ever since Washington announced this project aimed at protecting Europe from missile attacks from Iran or North Korea, the Russian leadership has displayed deep disagreement. Putin considers that it is in fact a weapon aimed to stop Russia from emerging and is accusing the United States and NATO of interfering in the country's internal affairs. Yesterday Putin even compared this initiative with colonialism." (27/04/2007)

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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany

According to Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, the Kremlin is exploiting the American missile defence programme "for propaganda purposes because it wants to drive a wedge between the NATO allies, and between Europe and America. Because it wants revenge for NATO's expansion to the east, and because it doesn't want Georgia and Ukraine, whose 'orange' attempts at democracy are a trauma for Moscow, to join NATO. This is why Putin is adopting the tone of the past in the hope it will act as a deterrent. The West should neither let itself be intimidated nor let Russia dictate what it does or doesn't do. It should not let itself be criticised by a man who has more than just phantom pains when he remembers the times of the Soviet empire. Under his rule, Russia is to return to its former power and glory and be respected - and feared? Well, he certainly makes no bones about it, especially not within Russia." (27/04/2007)

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Népszabadság - Hungary

Not only has Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened with Russia's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty if the West doesn't react to his criticism of the planned missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, he has also accused the West of trying to manipulate Russia with its "democratic ideology". "The message behind Putin's speech is: Moscow has the right to interfere in the affairs of Poland, the Czech Republic and even Estonia," journalist Gábor Miklós comments. "It's not so much the renewed debate about armoured vehicles that's worrying, but the fact that the word democracy is being treated as if it were a dirty word. The neighbouring states of a nuclear power can only feel safe if that state has a clear domestic policy and when citizens' initiatives or foreign contacts are not regarded as sinful. So the question is: is it possible to conduct sensible negotiations on issues of military security and energy prices, economic issues and democratic practices all at the same time?" (27/04/2007)

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