All news

US encouraged by Russian commitment to probe election violations

Clinton said she expressed “well-founded concern” when she described the conduct of Russian parliamentary election as “neither fair nor free”

WASHINGTON, December 9 (Itar-Tass) —— The United States welcomed the commitment of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to have all reported violations at the December 4 election investigated and White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington will not keep mum if it sees human rights violations in any country.

“When rights are violated in Russia, or in any other country, we speak out,” he told a briefing on Thursday adding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on the issue in Brussels.

Clinton said she expressed “well-founded concern” when she described the conduct of Russian parliamentary election as “neither fair nor free.”

In response Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States of spurring protests in the country over the vote by voicing serious concern about their conduct. He said hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign funds had been used to influence the election.

But Carney said “it should not come as a surprise to anyone that we, the United States of America, support democracy for everyone around the world.”

“We will continue to seek opportunities for cooperation with Russia, based on mutual respect and common interests. At the same time, we have sought to deepen our engagement with Russian society and to promote universal values. We are going to continue to pursue both tracks of engagement in the promotion of our interests and our values,” he said adding “we are encouraged by President Medvedev’s commitment to have the Central Election Commission investigate all election violations, and we welcome his acknowledgment that the demonstrations in Moscow and other cities are part of the democratic process.”