Russia 110602 Basic Political Developments

Foreign Ministry, IDF at odds over Russia military attaché expulsion

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/foreign-ministry-idf-at-odds-over-russia-military-attache-expulsion-1.365412

Foreign Ministry claims Israel military attache in Moscow, Col. Vadim Leiderman responsible for getting self booted out, IDF says attaché‎ expulsion being used to send message to Jerusalem.

By Barak Ravid

The Foreign Ministry and the army are battling over the circumstances and aftermath of the expulsion last month of Israel's military attaché in Moscow, Col. Vadim Leiderman. While the Foreign Ministry says Leiderman was responsible for getting himself booted out of Russia, senior Israel Defense Forces officials contend that the decision to expel the attache was made at the highest levels of the Russian government and that its purpose was to send a message to Jerusalem.

Leiderman was detained for questioning in Moscow by the Russian security services on May 12 and ordered to leave Russia within 48 hours. Russia claimed he gathered intelligence on Moscow's arms trading with Arab states and was also overly aggressive in promoting the interests of Israel's military industries in the Russian market.

The IDF and the foreign and defense ministries are expected to hold a joint investigation of the incident.

In its initial investigation, the Foreign Ministry did not interview Leiderman himself. Nevertheless, officials say that Leiderman caused his expulsion by violating diplomatic codes of conduct. They confirmed that the attache had been warned three times by the Russian Foreign Ministry about his conduct.

According to one senior Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem, however, these communications were not reported fully to the ministry by the Israeli embassy in Moscow, which dispatched short cables that did not emphasize the gravity of the problem.

In talks since Leiderman's expulsion, senior IDF officials protested to their Foreign Ministry counterparts against the ministry's position about the attache's responsibility. They claimed that Leiderman was not properly briefed by embassy staff about the Russians' concerns and as a result had been unaware of the degree of the problem.

BRICS Countries Gain Momentum for IMF Deputy Job, Lavrov Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-01/brics-countries-gain-momentum-for-imf-deputy-job-lavrov-says.html
By Henry Meyer and Agnes Lovasz - Jun 1, 2011 10:00 PM GMT+0200

Emerging-market nations are gaining the support of world leaders for a bid to nominate a deputy to the next head of the International Monetary Fund, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

A consensus has almost been reached on selecting the new IMF chief, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at the Group of Eight summit on May 27. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the same day said French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde’s candidacy for the job is "very strong."

Lagarde is vying to become France’s fifth IMF chief and maintain Europe’s hold on the position. While developing nations have called for an end to Europe’s 65-year hold on the post, they failed to unite behind one nominee. Brazil may back Lagarde in exchange for "a strategic position" for the nation’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega on the fund’s board, Rio de Janeiro-based O Globo reported on May 31.

The proposal by developing nations is a "very logical request and it was considered as very legitimate by all the participants of the G-8," Lavrov said in an interview in Moscow yesterday. The IMF should "give more voice to the countries, to the emerging economies which accumulate more financial and economic power. This fact must be reflected."

Lavrov didn’t name any candidates for the deputy’s job, which he said is a new position that would have to be created. The so-called BRICS emerging-market nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa aren’t seeking to replace any of the current deputies, he said.

The job of first deputy managing director, traditionally reserved for the U.S., is now held by John Lipsky, who is standing in for Dominique Strauss-Kahn. There are also two deputy managing directors, Naoyuki Shinohara and Nemat Shafik.

To contact the reporters on this story: Henry Meyer in Moscow at [e-mail]; Agnes Lovasz in London at [e-mail]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at [e-mail]

RT News line, June 2

Moscow not negotiating details of Gaddafi’s resignation – Lavrov

http://rt.com/politics/news-line/2011-06-02/#id11337
10:48

Russia is not taking part in the negotiation of details of Muammar Gaddafi’s resignation, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Bloomberg TV in an interview. "We are not taking part in negotiations regarding Gaddafi’s possible immunity or guarantees [of his safety]. This is not a part of our efforts," Lavrov stated. At the G8 summit in France last week, Russia succumbed to requests from France and the US and agreed to be a mediator in the Libyan conflict. Moscow has also called on Muammar Gaddafi to step down voluntarily.

Moscow not seeking immunity for Gaddafi

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/02/51163310.html
Jun 2, 2011 10:31 Moscow Time

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency, said that Moscow was not seeking to negotiate immunity or guarantees for Muammar Gaddafi, unlike other countries.

He said that Russia was stepping up diplomacy to promote a solution that would force Gaddafi to step down and NATO to cease military operations in Libya.

NATO aircraft have been bombing Libyan targets for two months to enforce a no-fly zone imposed by the UN Security Council in March.

Russia abstained from voting on the resolution.  

09:17 02/06/2011ALL NEWS

Russia against UNSC interference in situation in Syria-Lavrov.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/156005.html

2/6 Tass 90

MOSCOW, June 2 (Itar-Tass) — Russia has warned the United States and the European Union about the inadmissibility of weapons supply to the Syrian opposition according to the Libyan scenario and come out against the interference of the UN Security Council in the developments in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in Moscow in an interview with Bloomberg.

Lavrov warned the U.S. and European nations not to encourage anti-government protesters in Syria by holding out the prospect of military support like they provided in Libya. “It is not in the interests of anyone to send messages to the opposition in Syria or elsewhere that if you reject all reasonable offers we will come and help you as we did in Libya,” Lavrov, 61, said during an interview in Moscow. “It’s a very dangerous position.”

Russia abstained from the March 18 vote by the United Nations Security Council that authorized the use of force to protect civilians from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s forces, saying the resolution might lead to a “large-scale military intervention.” Operations led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have stretched far beyond the stated goal of enforcing a no-fly zone, Lavrov said.

According to him, “First of all, the situation doesn’t present a threat to international peace and security,” he said. “Second, Syria is a very important country in the Middle East and destabilizing Syria would have repercussions far beyond its borders.”

While Russia is opposed to international intervention, it supports the need for change in Syria and has encouraged Assad to implement promised reforms, Lavrov said, Bloomberg reported.

Assad on April 21 ordered the lifting of a 48-year-old state of emergency, abolished the Supreme State Security Court and issued a decree allowing peaceful protests. This week he offered a “general amnesty” covering political detainees.

“We are gratified that our appeals have been heard,” Lavrov said. “Recently he published a draft of a new constitution, he declared an amnesty for political prisoners, and I think this should calm the situation.”

Protests continued after the amnesty decree, issued late on May 31, as opposition leaders said it was a ploy to gain time.

Lavrov called for the Libyan resolution to be a unique one and said Russia will demand that any future UN mandates be more specific, according to Bloomberg.

“If somebody would like to get authorization to use force to achieve a shared goal by all of us, they would have to specify in the resolution who this somebody is, who is going to use this authorization, what the rules of engagement are and the limits on the use of force,” Lavrov said.

Russia has stepped up diplomatic efforts to help forge a Libyan settlement that would persuade Qaddafi to step down and end NATO military action, Lavrov said.

At the Group of Eight summit last week in Deauville, France, US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to help negotiate a deal acceptable to coalition forces, the African Union and Libyan rebels, Lavrov said.