"Where I see the danger is in unpredictable events. Say, a shot fired at a
base, somebody retaliates, more shots are fired, all of a sudden all these
western Ukrainians decide 'We're going to fight for the motherland.'"
Funny he should single out western Ukrainians as the only ones who are
"hotheaded" for a fight and not those from other parts of the country.
PI
On Mon, Mar 3, 2014 at 9:50 PM, Stefan Lemieszewski <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, has made a similar
> observation.
> And the Russians used a similar pretext in the first Crimean war
> (1853-1856).
>
> Stefan Lemieszewski
>
> -----
> http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/politics/story/1.2558118
> CBC
> 3Mar2014
> *John Baird compares Russia's actions in Ukraine to Nazi invasion of
> Czechoslovakia*
> *Russian troop presence in Crimea compared to what Germans did in
> Sudetenland in 1938*
> Leslie MacKinnon CBC News<http://www.cbc.ca/news/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364>
>
>
> Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has compared Russia's troop presence
> in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula to Hitler's invasion of Sudetenland, a part
> of the former Czechoslovakia, in 1938.
>
> Baird, speaking to host Evan Solomon on CBC News Network's Power &
> Politics, accused Russia of invading and occupying Crimea, a part of
> Ukraine. "If it's not war, it's akin to war," he said.
>
> At first, Baird said the situation was "right out of the Cold War." When
> Solomon pointed out Putin claims he is protecting Russian rights in Crimea,
> which has a majority of Russian-speaking citizens, Baird said, "The
> Sudetenland had a majority of Germans. That gave Germany no right to do
> this in the late 1930s."
>
> Asked by Solomon if he was making a comparison to the Nazis, Baird
> replied, "When you have one country invading one of its neighbours, and
> using this type of outrageous and ludicrous rhetoric, it's hard not to."
>
> Baird noted that no Russian in Crimea has been killed during the protests
> in Ukraine.
> Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird 20140128
>
> Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird accused Russia of invading and
> occupying Crimea, a part of Ukraine. "If it's not war, it's akin to war,"
> he said. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
>
> In 1938, Hitler sent in troops to occupy Sudetenland, a region on
> Germany's border populated largely by Sudeten Germans. The takeover was one
> of the precursors of the Second World War.
> Government monitors Ukraine crisis
>
> Baird's comments came after a series of events that show the Canadian
> government is actively monitoring the crisis in Ukraine, with Prime
> Minister Stephen Harper speaking to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the interim prime
> minister of Ukraine, this morning.
>
> The Prime Minister's Office released a statement about Harper's phone
> conversation. "He expressed to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk that Ukraine's
> sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and that the
> Ukrainian people must be free to determine their own future."
>
> Harper was referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to
> send Russian troops to Crimea, part of Ukraine, and surround its military
> bases.
>
> Pointedly referring to the G7, rather than the G8, which includes Russia,
> the statement said Harper assured Yatsenyuk, "Canada is working closely
> with partners and allies and drew attention to the strong statement issued
> by G7 leaders on March 2 on this matter. He reiterated Canada's continuing
> offers of assistance to Ukraine during this important period of transition,
> including related to the upcoming elections."
> Harper on phone with interim Ukraine prime minister
>
> Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke by telephone with Arseniy Yatsenyuk,
> the interim prime minster of Ukraine, Monday morning. (Prime Minister's
> Office)
>
> Elections are scheduled in Ukraine for May 27.
>
> Meanwhile, Canada is considering taking part in a special observer mission
> to Ukraine to determine whether Russia's claims that Ukrainians are at risk
> there are actually true, according to a Canadian Press report.
>
> Moscow has insisted that Ukrainians want Russian troops present in the
> Crimea for their protection. The claim has been used to justify the massing
> of Russian soldiers in the mainly Russian-speaking and semi-autonomous
> region.
>
> But Ukrainian Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko told the Canadian Press that
> Canada is in talks to examine the situation in Crimea and "take this
> pretext from the Russians."
>
> At a mining conference in Toronto Monday afternoon, Harper talked briefly
> about Ukraine before sitting down for an interview with a conference
> spokesperson about the economy.
>
> "Canada has suspended our engagement in preparations for the G8 summit
> planned in Sochi. We have also recalled our ambassador to Russia. [We]
> cancelled any government representation at the Paralympic Games and I've
> instructed officials to review all planned bilateral interaction with
> Russia," Harper announced.
>
> Harper has also spoken to U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime
> Minister David Cameron, but has not yet had a conversation with Putin.
> 'Does a G8 actually exist?'
>
> In question period Monday, Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale asked about
> the status of Russia in the G8. "Does a G8 actually exist at this time?"
>
> The parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Deepak Obhrai, did not
> directly answer. When deputy NDP leader Megan Leslie asked about what the
> government is doing to help Canadian citizens in Ukraine, Obhrai said they
> are being asked to contact the embassy to ensure their safety.
>
> Conservative MP Ted Opitz introduced a motion in the House of Commons,
> jointly supported by Goodale and NDP MP Peggy Nash, condemning Putin's
> actions in Ukraine and supporting the government's recall of the Canadian
> ambassador in Russia. The motion was adopted unanimously.
>
> In the foyer of the House of Commons, Opitz, whose background is Polish
> but whose Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre is heavily populated with
> Ukrainian-Canadians, said "there are other embassies on the ground," when
> asked by reporters whether it would be useful to retain an ambassador in
> Moscow to gather information.
>
> Opitz said Putin's actions are "all out of the old Soviet playbook,"
> dismissing Putin's claim of protecting Russian minority rights in Ukraine.
>
> Opitz has just returned from Ukraine, where he was part of a delegation
> accompanying Foreign Minister John Baird. The Liberal Party has just sent
> MP Chrystia Freeland to Ukraine, where she will attempt to meet with
> members of the transitional government.
>
> Freeland, who speaks Ukrainian and Russian, plans to stay with her uncle
> in Kyiv.
> Harper consults with NDP's Tom Mulcair
>
> Harper also called Opposition leader Tom Mulcair about his decision to
> recall Canada's ambassador and pull out of the G8 summit. On Sunday,
> speaking in Toronto, Mulcair described his conversation with the prime
> minister.
>
> "He called me and gave me a very detailed briefing on the current
> situation. We're of one mind. The world community has to come together and
> use whatever diplomatic tools at our disposal to show Russia that this is
> not an acceptable form of behaviour."
>
> Baird, who had just returned from a visit to Ukraine, told reporters
> Sunday he had met with members of the interim government while he was in
> Kyiv on Friday.
>
> "What we want to do is de-escalate this situation, and we want Putin and
> Russia to back down from their actions. Obviously we'll take this one step
> at a time and see where it goes. We are in close contact with friends and
> allies and will continue to do so," Baird said.
> Go-between role?
>
> Jeff Sahadeo, the director of European, Russian and Eurasian studies at
> Carleton University in Ottawa, said in a phone interview, "Canada's role in
> the end, if it were to be productive, might be to act as a go-between with
> the U.S. and the European Union to make sure that all the Western powers
> are on the same page, because that's a problem now."
>
> The EU and the U.S. have different interests, he explained. Europe is
> heavily reliant on Russia for natural gas exports whereas the interests of
> the U.S. are "geopolitical." He suggested Canada could use the experience
> gained in its free trade negotiations with the EU and act as an
> intermediary with the U.S.
>
> Sahadeo also said that Putin is probably happy with the "stalemate"
> situation he has precipitated by surrounding military assets in Crimea,
> with the Western powers anxious not to provoke anything.
>
> "Where I see the danger is in unpredictable events. Say, a shot fired at a
> base, somebody retaliates, more shots are fired, all of a sudden all these
> western Ukrainians decide 'We're going to fight for the motherland.'"
>
> Vadym Prysaitko, the Ukrainian ambassador in Canada, told CBC News his
> country is pleased the G8 nations have condemned Russia's actions. He
> acknowledged Ukraine has mobilized its 100,000 troops, and that citizens
> are signing up to enlist in the reserves.
>
> "We don't want anybody to get hurt, we don't want to spark any war," he
> said.
>
> =================
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ivan Kravchenko
> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 7:55 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Subject: [politics] I hope Ukraine is not about to be "Munichized"
>
>
> "I am asking neither that Germany be allowed to oppress three and a half
> million Frenchmen, nor am I asking that three and a half million
> Englishmen be placed at our mercy. Rather I am simply demanding that the
> oppression of three and a half million Germans in Czechoslovakia cease and
> that the inalienable right to self-determination take its place."
>
> Adolf Hitler, NSDAP Congress, 1938
>
>
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