Kremlin tries to explain away Putin's Katsav rape joke - Haaretz

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Last update - 19:10 20/10/2006

Kremlin tries to explain away Putin's Katsav rape joke

By The Associated Press

The Kremlin on Friday tried to explain away President Vladimir Putin's joke about rape charges against Israel's president, blaming difficulties in translating from Russian to English.

Putin's comments to visiting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday, in which he appeared to joke about the allegations, have come as a shock to Kremlin-watchers hardened to the president's earthy language and comments.

"Say hello to your president. He really surprised us...," Putin said to Olmert as reporters were being ushered out just after the two men got down to talks in the Kremlin. An Israeli official said Putin continued about President Moshe Katsav: "I met him. He didn't look like a guy who could be with 10 women."

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Earlier this week, police recommended Katsav be charged with rape, aggravated sexual assault and misconduct after women who once worked for him filed complaints. The 60-year-old has denied any wrongdoing but the scandal has rocked Israel.

Deputy Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained away the exchange as a joke."In no way can (it) be considered as an approval of raping women or an appreciation of such a potential action," he told The Associated Press.

"Sometimes translation from Russian into English does not reflect the essence of a joke. This was such a case," the Kremlin official said.

Russia's Kommersant daily conveyed an even more graphic version of the
conversation, quoting Putin, a former KGB agent, as saying: "He turns out to be a really powerful guy! He raped 10 women!" It also quoted Putin himself as saying "We all envy him."

In its story on the Putin-Olmert meeting, Kommersant commented incredulously: "This was one of those moments when you just can't believe your ears."

The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the press, said that after microphones were switched off, Israel's ambassador to Russia joked that Putin appeared envious of the Israeli president. Olmert told his host: "I wouldn't envy him," said the official.

Putin often tries to establish rapport with fellow leaders by joking about current affairs, but the jokes often seem to be a vehicle for exposing their weak points.

At a July news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in St. Petersburg, Putin parried a question about democratic backsliding in his country by pointedly referring to a corruption scandal implicating the British leadership.

But Putin also shows off earthy language - sometimes in jest, sometimes in anger. Early on in his presidency, Putin crudely called for "wiping out Chechen rebels in the outhouse" and he famously suggested that a French reporter who had posed an uncomfortable question about abuses against civilians in mostly Muslim Chechnya travel to Russia for a circumcision.

"I would recommend that he who does the surgery does it so you'll have nothing growing back, afterward," Putin said.

In June, foreign news executives were taken aback when Putin hit back at a question about whether Russia would favor sanctions against Iran if it failed to stop enriching uranium.

"What if my grandmother had certain sexual attributes?" he snapped, dismissing the question as merely rhetorical. "Then she would be my grandfather."

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1.	grobbe jung	16:50	\|	freda	20/10/06

2.	Putin Was Only Being Putin	18:15	\|	Tony Anthony	20/10/06

3.	Putin: all class	18:48	\|	paul	20/10/06

4.	Vertically challenged Putin and Fantasy	18:59	\|	Bimmer	20/10/06

5.	Tony Anthony, libel and slander are not nice	21:55	\|	Jake	20/10/06

6.	Putin or Borat? You decide	23:28	\|	Jonathan	20/10/06

7.	Vladimir knows	03:40	\|	Asa	21/10/06

8.	#1	04:11	\|	David	21/10/06

9.	Shoot! Just Laugh!	08:21	\|	Yosemite Sam	21/10/06

10.	good example from our leaders	09:43	\|	Observer	21/10/06

11.	Putin`s joke?	11:15	\|	Lehmann	21/10/06

12.	True or not...	12:03	\|	David	21/10/06

13.	What`s Not A Joke!	14:54	\|	Yosemite Sam	21/10/06

14.	Putin has NO class......at all!	17:19	\|	T A Sheppard	21/10/06

15.	Russian Jokes.	17:09	\|	Dr. Ari Nir	22/10/06

16.	Are russians stupid people??	19:15	\|	Dr. Ari Nir	22/10/06

17.	Putin knows	01:16	\|	Dr. Adi Habat	06/09/07

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