Moscow, Mar 21: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today publicly criticised Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, terming his remarks likening the use of military force in Libya to a 'call for crusades' as "unacceptable".
In what appeared to be a rare public disagreement between Russia's ruling tandem, Medvedev advocated caution in assessing events in other countries, hours after Putin slammed the coalition airstrikes in Libya. "It is unacceptable to use terms that will essentially lead to a collision of civilisations like 'crusades' and the like. This is unacceptable," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the Russian ITAR TASS news agency.
Putin had earlier criticised the UN Security Council resolution on Libya, saying it was akin to "a medieval call for a crusade". He said: "The UN Security Council resolution is certainly faulty and deficient... It allows for an invasion of a sovereign country".
Russia, along with China, India, Brazil and Germany, had abstained from voting on the UNSC resolution that authorised international military action in Libya, but did not use its veto to defeat it. PTI
