RTThu, 28 May 2015 19:45 UTC
The FIFA-linked arrests on the eve of the re-election of the organization's chief are an obvious attempt to thwart Sepp Blatter's re-appointment, Vladimir Putin said, answering journalists' questions. He added it's another example of US meddling abroad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the US could be selfishly motivated for its own gain, as was the case with Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.
"Unfortunately our American partners are using these methods in order to achieve their own selfish gains and it is illegal to persecute people. I would not rule out that in regards to FIFA, the same thing could be happening, though I do not know how it will end," he said."However, the fact that this is happening right on the eve of the FIFA presidential elections, gives one this exact impression."
Putin added this is an obvious attempt to expand Washington's jurisdiction in other countries."This is yet one more attempt to try and impose their law against other states. I am absolutely sure that this is an attempt to try and stop Blatter from being re-elected as FIFA president, which is a grave breach of the principles of a functioning international organization."
He also said pressure had been applied on Blatter "to force him to take the 2018 World Cup from Russia.""We know his position - which has nothing to do with any kind of special relationship between Russia and FIFA - he thinks that sport and politics should be separate."
"In terms of these arrests, it looks rather strange at the very least. These arrests took place at the request of the Americans and they were accused of corruption," Putin told journalists, pointing out that that the accusations were being made against international officials.
"One could say that maybe someone might be guilty of something. I do not know this, but what I do know is that this has nothing to do with the USA," he added. "They, these officials, are not citizens of the USA, and if something happened, it did not take place on the territory of the United States and the US has no business in this."Putin added that the "prosecutor of the United States, according to our mass media has already said that these FIFA committee members have committed a crime. This is almost as though the prosecutor doesn't know of the rule 'innocent until proven guilty'.""Whether the people are guilty or not, this should be decided in a court."The Russian president recalled the history surrounding the former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden, who managed to leak documents surrounding the illegal actions of the USA across the world, which included creating secret surveillance programs to listen in on the conversations of world leaders.
"No one wants to give him the right to be accepted as an asylum seeker or to guarantee his safety. No one wants to get in a quarrel with their partners, with their more senior partners."
Putin added that Assange's case is also relevant.
"They are after him because he leaked information, which he received from US defense, which detailed the actions of the US army in the Middle East and in particular in Iraq."
not new, same pattern of distraction from real issues: [Link]
"The existence of central bank gold reserves has been shrouded in mystery for the country allegedly the world’s largest gold reserve holder, the US Federal Reserve Bank. In 2011 IMF Director General Dominique Strauss-Kahn demanded an independent physical audit of Federal Reserve gold. The Federal Reserve gold has never been audited. Strauss-Kahn reportedly had information that the 8000 tons of gold reported to be held by the US was gone.
The IMF head became concerned reportedly after the United States began “stalling” its pledged delivery to the IMF of 191.3 tons of gold agreed to under the Second Amendment of the Articles of Agreement to fund what are called Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). Some days later a bizarre hotel sex scandal forced the abrupt resignation of Strauss-Kahn and an end to IMF calls for a gold audit.
Whatever the true state of US Fed gold reserves, it’s clear that both Russia and China are stocking gold bullion to back their currencies as they carefully create a new architecture to replace the US dollar system.
Despite US financial warfare efforts, Russia state finances are also remarkably healthy in comparison with those in the West. In the USA government debt officially is well over $17 trillion or 105% of GDP. Greek debt is 177% of GDP. The Eurozone countries average debt to GDP is 91% and Germany 74%.
In Russia state debt is about 18% of GDP. China’s debt is around 43% according to latest IMF data.'
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