A Kremlin spokesman has said that Vladimir Putin’s recent joke about Israeli President’s sexual abilities was a bad translation and not an approval of rape, the Associated Press news agency reports.
President Vladimir Putin made joking references to the sexual assault accusations against Israeli President Moshe Katsav when he met the visiting Israeli prime minister.
As Ehud Olmert met the Russian leader at the Kremlin on Wednesday, reporters overheard Putin tell him: “Say hello to your president. He really surprised us.â€
The microphones were then cut off but Putin was overheard, adding, “I met him. He didn’t look like a guy who could be with 10 women.â€
Olmert told his host: “I wouldn’t envy him,†said an Israeli, who heard the talk but sought anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.
Israeli police want Katsav, 60, charged with rape, aggravated sexual assault and misconduct after women who once worked for him filed complaints. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov explained away the exchange as poor translation. “In no way can (it) be considered as an approval of raping women or an appreciation of such a potential action. Sometimes translation from Russian into English does not reflect the essence of a joke.â€
Popularity: 2% [?]
October 21, 2006
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on Russia’s Jews to “pack their bags†and move to Israel at a meeting with community leaders during a visit to Moscow, AFP reports.
“Pack your bags, come home, we will all live together in Israel,†Olmert said during a visit to the synagogue and community centre at Marina Roshcha in Moscow.
Russia has one of the biggest Jewish populations in the world.
“There are problems, sometimes there are wars, sometimes it’s dangerous… but we will help you solve all these problems,†Olmert said, referring to problems in Israel.
In his speech, Olmert expressed gratitude to President Vladimir Putin, whom he met on Wednesday, for the Russian leader’s “warm embrace†of the Jewish community.
Russia’s chief rabbi Berl Lazar and Lev Levayev, a diamond and property tycoon who has helped fund Russian Jewish groups, attended the elaborate ceremony in Moscow attended by several hundred people.
According to various estimates, Russia has from 230,000 to 10 million Jewish residents.
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October 20, 2006
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other political figures received by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin were puzzled when Putin said that everyone in Russia envied President Moshe Katsav’s might which allowed the latter to rape ten women, a Russian and an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday.
Russian newspaper Kommersant ran an article on Putin-Olmert meeting on the front page. The text was written by Kommersant journalist from the Kremlin pool known for his mocking style rather than analysis.
The author claims that after the meeting, as most of reporters already left the hall, Putin told the Israeli delegation: “Say hi to your president. He turned out to be quite a powerful person! He raped ten women! We’re all amazed. We all envy him!†The reporter said that the Russian President apparently thought the microphones were switched off while they were not.
Israel’s Jerusalem Post ran a slightly different version of the story. According to their report, Putin said “He surprised us,†and the sound was shut off. The newspaper quoted an unnamed official who heard the rest of the exchange as saying that Putin jokingly praised Katsav. “We didn’t know he could deal with 10 women,†were Putin’s words according to the Jerusalem Post. To which Olmert reportedly replied, “I wouldn’t be jealous of him.â€
Tel Aviv- The public prosecutor’s office in Jerusalem is preparing the indictment to be submitted against Israeli President Moshe Katsav, local media reported Tuesday. The draft indictment will likely be presented within two weeks, reports said. Following a lengthy probe into charges that he sexually harassed several former females employees, Israeli police investigators recommended that Katsav, 60, be indicted for rape, molestation and wiretapping.
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October 19, 2006
