Saturday, February 11, 2006

Chinese Mexican Standoff in Russia

Progress on whether to admit Russia to the World Trade Organization ground to a sudden halt today in Moscow when the Group of Eight finance ministers and Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn't agree on who should have ultimate control over their table's Lazy Susan. The complex negotiations were reportedly speeding toward a conclusion but quickly broke down shortly after the group's Chinese food arrived and an unnamed G8 official and President Putin both reached for the Tofu in Brown Sauce dish simultaneously. According to one source, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow attempted to broker an agreement by dumping the remains of the tofu dish on his plate and declaring the impasse "no longer relevant," for which he got a finger in the eye.

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