U.S. President George W. Bush (L) listens as White House Press Secretary Dana Perino (R) speaks in the press briefing room of the White House.
Photo: Reuters
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U.S. Again Rejected Moscow Claims of Election Meddling
The U.S. White House has again rejected Russia’s supposition of influencing the decision of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights not to monitor the State Duma elections in Russia.
“Under Secretary Nick Burns and my counterpart at the State Department, Sean McCormack, both answered charges yesterday where President Putin's government had suggested that the United States somehow was responsible for the election observers not going to that country, and that's absolutely untrue,” the White House Briefer Dana Perino told reporters yesterday, pointing out that the U.S. envoys in Moscow were discussing the issue with Russia’s government.
The OSCE decision to abandon plans to observe the vote at parliamentary elections in Russia had been made under the influence of the U.S. Department of State, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced in St. Petersburg November 26, when meeting with participants of The Country’s Professional Team Project. Moscow wouldn’t fail to take it into considerations in relations with Washington, Putin warned.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack bluntly refuted the accusations. Regardless, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at Washington again after meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Earlier, PACE pledged to send a delegation of 55 to monitor the State Duma elections slated for December 2, 2007. From November 29, the observers will be meeting with representatives of the parties in Moscow. They also intend to inspect polling stations all over the country, including central Russia, Siberia and Far East.
OSCE but for its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will monitor the elections as well.
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