Thursday, December 8, 2011

Putin Says Clinton Incited Protests Over Russian Vote

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday accused Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of instigating protests over the results of Russia’s parliamentary elections by baselessly criticizing the vote as “dishonest and unfair” and he warned that Russia needed to protect against “interference” by foreign governments in its internal affairs.


“I looked at the first reaction of our U.S. partners,” Mr. Putin said in remarks to political allies. “The first thing that the secretary of state did was say that they were not honest and not fair, but she had not even yet received the material from the observers.”
“She set the tone for some actors in our country and gave them a signal,” Mr. Putin continued. “They heard the signal, and with the support of the U.S. State Department, began active work.”
Mr. Putin’s remarks signaled a new worsening in relations with the United States, threatening the Obama administration’s efforts to “reset” the relationship with Russia. His critique was strikingly personal. By singling out Mrs. Clinton, rather than making a vague comment about the West, he effectively thrust the United States on the side of the protesters in the streets challenging the Kremlin’s authority, and not entirely without reason.
Mrs. Clinton has been outspoken in her criticism of the election, issuing several strongly worded statements, beginning on Monday, after a preliminary report was released by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
“The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted,” Mrs. Clinton said on Monday in Bonn, Germany, while attending a conference on Afghanistan that included Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.
“That means they deserve a free, fair, transparent election and leaders who are accountable to them,” she said.
The observers issued a scathing assessment in which they said their main concerns were deep structural problems, including the absence of separation between the government and United Russia, Mr. Putin’s party.
Petros Efthymiou, a coordinator of the observer mission, cited “the interference of the state in all levels of political life, the lack of necessary conditions for a fair competition and no independence of the media.”
Mrs. Clinton, asked about Mr. Putin’s remarks, reiterated her concerns at a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday. While stressing the importance of the relationship with Russia, she said, “At the same time, the United States and many others around the world have a strong commitment to democracy and human rights. It’s part of who we are. It’s our values. And we expressed concerns that we thought were well founded about the conduct of the election. We are supportive of the rights and aspirations of the Russian people to make progress and to realize a better future for themselves, and we hope to see that unfold in the years to come.”
Mr. Putin’s assertions of foreign meddling and his vow to protect Russian “sovereignty” came after three days in which the Russian government has moved forcefully to tamp down efforts to protest Sunday’s elections. The authorities arrested hundreds of demonstrators and deployed legions of pro-Kremlin young people in Moscow to occupy public squares and to chant, beat drums and drown out the opposition.
Another major opposition demonstration is being planned for Saturday in central Moscow, and while Mr. Putin said that lawful rallies should be permitted, his warnings about foreign interference suggested that the government would view the continuing protests over the elections as a threat and would take further steps to contain them.
“We have to protect our sovereignty, and it is necessary to think about improving the law and toughening responsibility for those who take orders from foreign states to influence internal political processes,” Mr. Putin said.
Speaking specifically about street demonstrations, he said, “If people act within the framework of the law, they should be entitled to express their opinion.” But he added, “If someone breaks the law, the authorities and law enforcement agencies need to demand that the law be followed, using any legal means.”
Large contingents of riot police remained in Moscow, as part of what officials have described as a period of heightened security around the elections.

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