us joke on rules

us should practice what they preach

Russia must 'play by rules'
6 January 2006
gulf-daily-news.com/story.asp?Article=131836&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=28292

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia to act responsibly following its gas row with Ukraine, which had threatened supplies to Europe and drew international condemnation.

"The game just can't be played that way," said Rice, speaking to reporters at a breakfast meeting. "When you say that you want to be part of the international economy, that you want to be a responsible actor in the international economy, then you play by its rules."

Rice said it was ironic that the dispute with Ukraine over gas prices had boiled over on the day Russia for the first time took over the chairmanship of the Group of Eight most industrialized countries.

"It was not a good week from the point of view of Russia's demonstrating that it is now prepared to act as an energy supplier in a responsible way in energy markets," Rice said.

The chief US diplomat added that she hoped Moscow had clearly understood that the political motives behind its decision to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine did not sit well with the international community.

"Nobody said that Ukraine and Russia should not eventually get to some market-based price for gas," Rice said.

"After all, everybody is trying to break down the oil structures of the Soviet Union, which were inefficient and wasteful, but when you do it in the way that this was done, with obvious political motives, of course it causes problems."

Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1, after Kiev rejected a price rise that would have taken the cost of gas from $50 to $230.