Russia’s disregard for rule of law, human rights violations and other ‘anti-democratic’ tendencies ‘colour the position of the United States’.
US threatening Russia with economic retaliation: report
Posted online: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 0006 hours IST
MOSCOW, APRIL 11: Fearful of Russia helping Iran build a nuclear bomb and the Kremlin reverting to authoritarianism, the US is threatening Mosow with economic retaliation, a media report said on Tuesday.
“The United States is the last major country to put up obstacles to Russian entry to the WTO.
“On the surface, the outstanding WTO issues are purely economic - intellectual property rights, for instance, or keeping Russian markets open to American poultry exports, an issue that has recently arisen.But just beneath the surface, the politics surrounding Russia’s quest to join the global trade organisation is clearly visible,” the ‘Moscow Times’ daily said.
Russia has resolved trade disputes with many countries, but has yet to iron out its differences with Washington, a prerequisite for admission to the 149-member WTO.
US senator Bill Frist, the majority leader and one of a handful of Republicans likely to run for President in 2008, said here on Monday that the political chasm separating the US and Russia figured into the resolution of trade disputes.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, frist said Russia’s disregard for rule of law, human rights violations and other ‘anti-democratic’ tendencies ‘colour the position of the United States’.
link to the story
Posted online: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 0006 hours IST
MOSCOW, APRIL 11: Fearful of Russia helping Iran build a nuclear bomb and the Kremlin reverting to authoritarianism, the US is threatening Mosow with economic retaliation, a media report said on Tuesday.
“The United States is the last major country to put up obstacles to Russian entry to the WTO.
“On the surface, the outstanding WTO issues are purely economic - intellectual property rights, for instance, or keeping Russian markets open to American poultry exports, an issue that has recently arisen.But just beneath the surface, the politics surrounding Russia’s quest to join the global trade organisation is clearly visible,” the ‘Moscow Times’ daily said.
Russia has resolved trade disputes with many countries, but has yet to iron out its differences with Washington, a prerequisite for admission to the 149-member WTO.
US senator Bill Frist, the majority leader and one of a handful of Republicans likely to run for President in 2008, said here on Monday that the political chasm separating the US and Russia figured into the resolution of trade disputes.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, frist said Russia’s disregard for rule of law, human rights violations and other ‘anti-democratic’ tendencies ‘colour the position of the United States’.
link to the story
