Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) has failed to change Vladimir Rushailo (left) for the ex-head of the Election Commission, so he chose the chief of the foreign intelligence instead.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Russia's Best Spy Sent to CIS
The Russian foreign intelligence chief was appointed the CIS’s new executive secretary at a summit in Dushanbe on Friday. Sergey Lebedev is replacing another Russian, Vladimir Rushailo. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov learnt that Mr. Lebedev had been nominated by President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin came to Dushanbe from Novosibirsk later than planned. In contrast, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov was ahead of schedule. As a result, the Russian president was met in Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov’s residence by the Turkmen leader who had spent half an hour in the presidential palace talking to CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir Rushailo.
What is more, the Turkmen president went out the doors to greet not only Vladimir Putin but also the place’s real actual Emomali Rakhmonov and greeted him too. Mr. Rakhmonov was also late for the start of the ceremony that he was to open as he had held a short and uncompromised meeting with Vladimir Putin earlier.
It seems that everything got tangled in this once perfect mechanism which is called the meeting of heads of CIS states – Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov with the look of a hospitable host leaving the door of somebody else’s residence, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev making an unexpected turn from the straight lane leading to Mr. Rakhmonov. Vladimir Putin, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev spent a few minutes instead of the planned thirty minutes in the residence’s hall as the Tajik president greeted his counterparts and went to the session with them. The protocol was shattered completely, and presidents of Belarus, Uzbekistan and Moldova who came to the hall had to idea where they were to go. When they finally understood, it appeared that there were not enough seats in the room, and somebody had to take other seats.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was the last to enter the meeting room. He looked around and joined others. He greeted the Russian president with a nod, then Vladimir Putin gave him the hand and Mikhail Saakashvili clearly accepted it.
The session lasted long so CIS leader apparently had a lot to talk about. Documents to be signed appeared a bit earlier. Among them were the guidelines for the activities of the CIS and several points that the presidents agreed to adopt without debate.
One of them was “The Appointment of the CIS Executive Secretary”. Developments with Vladimir Rushailo whose powers expired this year and were not extended are well-known. Russia suggests former chair of the Central Election Commission Alexander Veshnyakov for the post but Alexander Lukashenko was strongly against him. Reasons for his protest are still unclear. It is not likely that he has something personal against Mr. Veshnyakov. It is more likely that he has something personal in favor for Mr. Rushailo who he was ready to give one more term in office. The fact that the new candidate was approved without discussion meant that the decision had been taken earlier.
The enlarged session started with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev pronouncing a surname.
“Mr. Lebedev,” he said, “has been suggested by Russia as CIS Executive Secretary and was approved by all CIS presidents.
It means that the Kremlin had time to speak to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko who was represented by Foreign Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk at the meeting.
The key problem was that Mr. Nazarbaev gave the surname but did not give the first name. The press center of the summit was absolutely perplexed, and everyone tried to call in mind all Lebedevs who were more or less fit for the post.
In my thoughts I proceeded from the unlikeliest assumption and suggested it: “Surely, it can’t be the foreign intelligence’s director.” I got it all right in the end.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 06, 2007
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