"Nashi" youth movement activists protest in front of the American embassy in Moscow on April 12, 2007.
Photo: Alexey Kudenko
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Russia Rebuffs America
// State Duma Replies to State Department
The Russian State Duma today will pass a resolution entitled, "Regarding Attempts by the United States to Interfere in the Domestic Political Situation in the Russian Federation," which was written by the Committee for Affairs of Public Associations. The resolution's authors condemn US attempts to influence the course of presidential and parliamentary elections in Russia through the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and propose that the Foreign Affairs Ministry take "emergency measures" to protect Russian sovereignty.
The resolution aimed at the US State Department was prepared by the State Duma Committee for Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations in only two days, in reply to a report entitled "Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The US Record 2006" published by the US State Department on April 6. The report makes extensive mention of the role of NGOs in free elections and also expresses concern about the fate of democracy in Russia in conjunction with the upcoming federal elections.
The Russian Duma's response, which deputies intend to approve today, says, "Under the appearance of contributing to the holding of free and fair elections to the State Duma in December 2007 and of the president of the Russian Federation (RF) in March 2008, American taxpayers are footing the bill for numerous instruction sessions, polls, seminars, and other events in Russia that propagandize tendentious appraisals that distort the law of the RF, particularly the law concerning noncommercial organizations."
Moreover, according to the deputies, American officials in Russia are collaborating with openly "extremist factions." The resolution does not list concrete examples, but in private conversations the legislators do not conceal the fact that the factions in question include the opposition coalition "The Other Russia" and the organizers of the "Dissenters' Marches," which the State Duma alleges are financed partly by funding from the US. The resolution particularly focuses on allegations that the constitution and sovereignty of Russia are being undermined "with a certain degree of openness by the US authorities, who talk directly through their State Department about financing for several Russian political factions and social movements." "For the first time after the end of the Cold War, the Americans have openly admitted that they are investing enormous amounts of funding in creating their own interest groups in Russian society," conclude the authors of the report indignantly.
A draft of the resolution was approved yesterday at a closed session of the multi-partisan Foreign Policy Council, which includes representatives from all parties in the Duma. After work on the resolution was completed, International Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachyov declared that no reaction from Moscow to Washington's actions would threaten Russia with a loss of its political stability. "If we do not react attentively to foreign affairs, which include provocative attempts by our partners to finance the activities of Russian civil society and noncommercial organizations, then sooner or later a 'color revolution' will be provoked in Russia as well," said Mr. Kosachyov.
Accordingly, the Duma intends to appeal to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other government agencies with the request that they "develop a set of emergency measures to combat rude attempts at foreign meddling in the domestic affairs of the Russian Federation." The Foreign Ministry, without waiting for the resolution to be approved by the Duma, yesterday issued its own evaluation of the State Department's report: "The report is openly political in character and has little to do with the real state of things," said deputy foreign ministry Alexander Yakovenko. "Unfortunately, in countries that follow in the path of United States foreign policy, the human rights situation is characterized extremely positively, while those that are moving out of step are subjected to criticism," he said.
Suzanna Farizova
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 13, 2007
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