The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Saturday criticized Western countries for their policies since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, dpa reported. Gorbachev, 83, is in Berlin for Sunday's 25th anniversary of crumbling of the Wall, which hastened the end of communism in eastern Europe. His glasnost reforms in the Soviet Union were seen as helping to pave the way for the fall of the Wall, and he is considered a hero by many former East Germans who joined mass demonstrations in 1989 against their communist rulers. But on Saturday, he accused the West, and especially the United States, of not keeping the promises it has made since the Cold War. Instead, he said, the West has declared itself to be the winner of the Cold War and had taken advantage of Russia's weakness. -- SPA 21:51 LOCAL TIME 18:51 GMT تغريد
