US attacks some Central Asia leaders

[Judi Lynn]

US attacks some Central Asia leaders

By Roman Kozhevnikov
9 minutes ago



DUSHANBE (Reuters) - The United States accused certain Central Asian leaders of trying to "sell their souls" for personal gain on Friday and denied Washington was seeking undue influence in a region rich in oil and gas.

In a sharply worded statement, a U.S. envoy to the region said Washington had no intention of creating it own blocs in Central Asia, where analysts say former imperial master Russia is vying with both the United States and China for influence.

"Some clear-eyed leaders in this region desire strongly to build their nations' independence and sovereignty," said Richard Hoagland, U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan.

"Some others are willing to sell their state and even their own soul to the highest bidder for their own and their family's short-term personal and political gain."
(snip/...)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060623/pl_nm/centralasia_usa_dc;_ylt=A0SOwlY44ZtEWJIALQ0a.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--



Ambassador Richard Hoagland

[muntrv]

1. Pot calling the kettle black.

[Old and In the Way]

2. In other words, the negotiations aren't going in our favor. nt

[NavyDavy]

4. exactly

[Lerkfish]

3. horrible headline. implies actual military attack underway.

not dissing the originating poster, just pointing out how crucial wording can be.

[tanyev]

5. They may be right.

If there's any area where the incompetent Bush administration has expertise, it's in selling their souls.

[OneBlueSky]

6. "sell their souls" for personal gain . . . oh, that's rich . . .

do these guys even own mirrors? . . .