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Wounded Iceland takes over top bank, seeks Russia loan
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Iceland took over its second largest bank, propped up a battered currency and sought on Tuesday a 4 billion euro ($5.44 billion) loan from Russia to help tackle a crisis threatening to overwhelm the island nation.
Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Moscow viewed positively the request from Iceland, whose premier said it had faced a risk of “national bankruptcy.”
“The result will be announced after negotiations,” Kudrin said.
[Quote:]
But what price will the Russians demand for their bailout? A highly-placed source in Reykjavik tells Coffee House that Iceland might look kindly on requests from Russia’s military to use America’s former military base in Iceland. America closed its Naval Air Station at Keflavik Airport two years ago, handing back the Nato facility to the Icelandic government.
Now the word in Reykjavik is that the Russians could have use of it in return for the loan. Not that Keflavik would become a Russian air base — Iceland is a member of Nato, so that is out of the question — but it would suit the Kremlin to be able to use it for, say, refuelling and maintenance. Having use of such a facility only a few hours flying time from North America would be a major Russian propaganda coup and cause consternation in Washington.
Funny, but wrong (and a very ‘cold-war’) way to look at it:
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You have to admire the efficiency of the Russians. Bush spends 700 billion in Iraq for nothing. Russia spends 5 billion and gets control of the North Atlantic shipping lanes. Putin sure can play the game.
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Let’s see now…(two finger rub on chin)…ummm. Who was it that gave Russia money not that many years ago? Do you see where I am going with this?