Putin warns US against imperialism

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 18, 2003

Putin warns US against imperialism

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United State Thursday not to slide into imperialism, just hours before his meeting with a US special envoy on Iraq's debts.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United State Thursday not to slide into imperialism, just hours before his meeting with a US special envoy on Iraq's debts.

In a live televised question-and-answer session with ordinary Russians, the president said that throughout human history, great countries that sought imperialism had suffered from a series of problems that worsened their positions.

"To put it mildly: the feelings of invincibility, grandeur and infallibility... I very much hope that this does not happen with our American partners," Putin said.

Speaking about the fight against international terrorism, Putin said a defeat of the United States in its war on international terrorism is not in the interests of Russia, "because we are partners with the United States in this fight."

Putin reiterated Russia's criticism of the United States over the war in Iraq, saying the war was unfair and unjustified becauseit was not sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.

"Iraq is a different matter. There were no international terrorists in Iraq under the (Saddam) Hussein regime," the Russian president stressed.

"The use of force abroad complies with international law only when it's authorized by the UN Security Council," he said.

Putin's remarks came only hours before his meeting with US special envoy James Baker, with whom Putin will talk about cutting foreign debts of post-war Iraq.

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