Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2007 > March > 29 > Entry
The President and The General
A human rights organization says President Bush should not have met this week with Russian Gen. Vladimir Shamanov. The White House says the human rights organization is right.
Human Rights Watch says Shamanov was aware of abuses, including the killing of civilians, by his troops in Chechnya in 1999.
Shamanov was in Washington in his role as co-chair of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, which works to account for military personnel who disappeared during the Cold War.
“The president was not aware of the allegations made against (Shamanov) and he was seeking to sharpen the focus on the commissions good work,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “Due to the information about the current Russian leadership we are going to review how best to move forward with that important work.”
Would the meeting have happened if Bush had known about Shamanov’s track record?
“Unlikely,” said Perino.
Permalink | |
Services »
