#17
excerpt
US Department of State
Office of Research
Foreign Media Reaction
April 9, 2003
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT: FINDINGS 'ACCURATE,' U.S. 'HYPOCRITICAL'
RUSSIA: "Global Messiahship"

Yevgeniy Verlin said in centrist Nezavisimaya Gazeta (4/2): "Global messiahship has again been proclaimed the chief guideline of the United States' foreign policy ideology. As he presented the annual report on the human rights situation in the world last Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell emphasized that combating international terrorism and spreading the blessings of freedom make up the core content of the U.S. agenda for the world. This, he believes, is what the Allies' military machine is doing in Iraq now."

"Balanced Report"

Lyudmila Alekseyeva, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, declared (4/2): "The report is quite balanced, made by people who are aware of the human rights situation in every country. It has nothing to do with the events in Iraq--some people are fighting in Iraq, others are busy writing reports. They did not begin drafting this report when the war started in Iraq. Human rights reports are a routine business."

"What the Report Says Is True"

Yuliy Rybakov, a Duma deputy, said in reformist Vremya Novostey (4/2): "I agree with the facts and assessments as contained in the report concerning our actions in Chechnya. Sadly, what they say is true. But then... with the Americans acting as mad criminals these days, exactly as we have been doing in Chechnya, we make a pair."

"World Order Falls Apart"

Olga Koleva of reformist Vremya Novostey noted (4/2): "The world order is falling apart, and, regrettably, the Americans, the beacons for all in the area of democracy and human rights, have had their reputation sallied. Coming up with such a report is something they have no moral right to do now. The Americans' attacks on the Russian media are most surprising, as their own attitude toward the press has been typical of true Bolsheviks recently."

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