You have to love the line: " We never threaten anyone. We just explain the
situation."
Sounds just like mob language.
On Saturday, 29 March 2014, <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Exclusive: Russia threatened countries ahead of U.N. vote on Ukraine:
> envoys
>
> http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/29/us-ukraine-crisis-un-idUSBREA2R20O20140329
> By Louis Charbonneau
> UNITED NATIONS
> Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:28am EDT
>
> (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian
> states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General
> Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on
> seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said.
>
> The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western
> countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political
> blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United
> Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding
> resolution on the Ukraine crisis.
>
> According to interviews with U.N. diplomats, most of whom preferred to
> speak on condition of anonymity for fear of angering Moscow, the targets of
> Russian threats included Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as a
> number of African countries.
>
> A spokesman for Russia's Mission to the U.N. denied that Moscow threatened
> any country with retaliation if it supported the resolution, saying: "We
> never threaten anyone. We just explain the situation."
>
> According to the diplomats, the Russian threats were not specific. But
> they said it was clear to the recipients of the warnings not to support the
> resolution that retaliatory measures could include steps such as expelling
> migrant workers from Russia, halting natural gas supplies or banning
> certain imports to Russia to cause economic harm.
>
> In the end, the Ukrainian resolution declaring Crimea's vote on March 16
> in favor of seceding from Ukraine as having "no validity" passed with 100
> votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions. Another 24 U.N. member
> states did not cast votes.
>
> Western diplomats called the result a diplomatic success for Ukraine. A
> similar General Assembly vote was held in 2008 after Russia went to war
> with Georgia over its breakaway enclave South Ossetia, which later declared
> independence and has unsuccessfully sought annexation to Russia. That
> resolution was adopted with a mere 14 votes in favor, 11 against and 105
> abstentions.
>
> Although the General Assembly resolution is non-binding - unlike Security
> Council resolutions - Russia and the Western powers went to great efforts
> to persuade delegations to vote with them. Earlier this month, Russia
> vetoed a resolution in the Security Council that was similar to the General
> Assembly text.
>
> The United States and European delegations said the result of Thursday's
> vote highlighted Russia's isolation on the issue of Crimea.
>
> Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovich, backed by Russia, was ousted
> last month after a crackdown on demonstrations in Kiev that left dozens
> dead. His ousting prompted Moscow to seize the peninsula on the Black Sea
> in a move that predominantly Russian-speaking Crimeans embraced in their
> plebiscite that overwhelmingly favored annexation to Russia.
>
> DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW
>
> The delegations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan did not respond to a request
> from Reuters for comment about the alleged Russian threats of retaliation.
> Both countries were among the 24 countries that did not cast votes on
> Wednesday.
>
> But the Ambassador of Moldova to the U.N., Vladimir Lupan, agreed to speak
> about the issue. Asked if the Russians had given any indication, direct or
> indirect, that the former Soviet republic could be punished for a yes vote,
> Lupan said: "I wasn't present at this particular discussion and I can
> neither infer nor confirm this to you."
>
> "And normally before you vote, you discuss this with a number of
> countries," he told Reuters. "This matter was indeed discussed between the
> Moldovan authorities and the Russian authorities. We also discussed this
> with our (European Union) partners."
>
> "Of course, we had two different points of view - one from the Russian
> Federation in favor of a no vote and, for example, the European Union in
> favor of a positive vote," Lupan said, adding that his country was
> attempting to resolve all outstanding issues with Russia peacefully and
> through dialogue.
>
> Several diplomats told Reuters that Moldova was among the countries
> subjected to pressure from Moscow ahead of the vote. In the end, the
> Moldovan delegation defied Russia and joined Ukraine, the United States,
> the EU and other Western powers in voting yes.
>
> Lupan also said the West had not threatened Moldova.
>
> Moldova is in a precarious situation as its pro-Europe leader warned in an
> interview with Reuters of "a series of provocations" from breakaway
> Russian-speaking Transdniestria, which has been identified by NATO as a
> possible next target for Russia after it sent troops into Ukraine.
>
> Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told Reuters that Russia's annexation
> of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula "might raise expectations" in Moldova's
> rebel region, a sliver of land that broke away with the collapse of the
> Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
>
> Some African diplomats also did not respond to queries, but Rwanda's
> deputy U.N. ambassador, Olivier Nduhungirehe, vehemently denied that Kigali
> was threatened. "I don't know where this came from," he told Reuters.
>
> Ivory Coast's Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba also denied being pressured by
> Moscow.
>
> Like many African states, Rwanda abstained from the vote, while Ivory
> Coast did not participate.
>
> Russia is not the only country accused of strong-arm tactics at the United
> Nations. Ahead of important decisions on the 15-member U.N. Security
> Council, diplomats say the big powers have been known to attempt to "buy"
> votes from the 10 non-permanent members with a combination of carrots and
> sticks.
>
> The United States, diplomats say, has in the past punished countries that
> refused to stand with it on the Security Council for crucial votes. After
> Yemen voted against a council resolution authorizing the use of force
> against Iraq in 1991 to expel it from Kuwait, Washington cut off millions
> of dollars in aid to Sanaa.
>
> French Ambassador Gerard Araud was asked about Russia's allegation that
> Western powers had blackmailed U.N. member states to secure a strong vote
> in favor of the Crimea text.
>
> "When you lose, you have to be a good a loser," he told reporters outside
> the Security Council. "I think Russia is a bad loser. They lost and they
> did by 100 votes."
>
> (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)
>
>
>
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