Cheney Switches From Scowls to SmilesBy Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 6, 2006; Page A13
A day after scolding Russia for retreating on democracy, Vice President Cheney flew to oil-rich Kazakhstan yesterday and lavished praise on the autocratic leader of a former Soviet republic where opposition parties have been banned, newspapers shut down and advocacy groups intimidated.Cheney stood next to Kazakhstan's longtime president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in a marble hall of the presidential palace in Astana and congratulated him on his country's vibrant economy. His tone was markedly different from the tenor of his remarks about Russia a day earlier during a stop in Lithuania, when he accused Moscow of violating its citizens' rights and using "intimidation or blackmail" against neighbors.
In the course of a 395-word opening statement, according to a White House transcript, Cheney pronounced himself "delighted" to be a guest of Nazarbayev, saying "I consider him my friend" and adding that "the United States is proud to count Kazakhstan as a friend." Cheney professed "great respect" for Nazarbayev and said that "we are proud to be your strategic partner" and look forward "to continued friendship between us."
Asked about Kazakhstan's human rights record, he expressed "admiration for all that's been accomplished here in Kazakhstan" and confidence that it will continue.Kazakhstan, however, remains a repressive nation, ruled by a former Communist apparatchik who has maintained a tight grip over its 15 million people since Soviet days and parlayed its massive energy reserves into a place on the international stage. Those reserves, human rights advocates say, have earned the country a pass from the Bush administration on human rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050501490.html