Putin backs disputed US adoption ban
2012-12-20 17:49
Moscow - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday backed tough
pending legislation making it illegal for Americans to adopt Russian children
in reprisal for a new Washington human rights law.
But in his first major press conference of his third term as
president, he also denied running an "authoritarian system" in which
all branches of power and most facets of society closely followed the dictates
of Kremlin rule.
The highly controversial draft legislation would end about 1
000 adoptions a year and comes as a grim reminder of the rapid deterioration in
Russia-US relations since Putin's election in March.
The bill also includes a clause that bans any Russian
non-government organisations involved in politics that receives funding from
the United States.
The State Duma lower house of parliament is due to vote on
the bill in its final reading on Friday before it passes to the upper chamber
and then for the president's signature.
Even senior government members such as Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov came out against the measure and some media commentators had
expected Putin to show off his rarely-seen humanitarian streak by watering down
the measure at the press conference.
Chilling relations
But the Russian strongman indicated that he would sign the
adoption ban into law.
"I understand that this was an emotional response by
the State Duma, but I think that it was appropriate," Putin told the first
major press conference of his third term as president.
"I have not seen the law yet. I do not know its details
- I have not seen the text," he explained in response to another question.
"But yes, I have said I support it. The only question
is how exactly it will look."
His comments came as the latest reminder of the chilling in
relations between former Cold War foes Russia and the US since Putin returned
to the Kremlin for his third term earlier this year.
Much of the latest mistrust stems from Putin's
often-repeated belief that Washington was responsible for inciting mass
protests last winter against the former KGB agent returning to Russia's top
office.
