DATE=9/20/1999
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
TITLE=RUSSIA BOMBINGS
NUMBER=6-11478
BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
TELEPHONE=619-3335
CONTENT=
INTRO: Russia has been the scene of a series of
terrorist bombings, which have claimed more than 300
lives in Moscow and at least one other city.
In addition, there are continuing revelations about
huge sums of aid money, some of it coming from
international monetary donors, being channeled into
the pockets of individuals and then, smuggled out of
the country.
The U-S press continues to watch these developments
with concern. We get a sampling of some typical
comments now from ___________ in today's U-S Opinion
Roundup.
TEXT: There are new allegations that Russian
President Boris Yeltsin is directly involved in
corruption, with money channeled through a private
credit card account through Switzerland. He has
denied the charges, and even called President Clinton
to allay U-S fears that corruption is undermining the
Russian economy.
On top of this, come the terrorist bombings, mostly
against apartment buildings, and usually at night.
The attacks have killed at least 300 people, and
struck fear into the hearts of the hardiest Russians.
We begin our comments in Los Angeles, where The Los
Angeles Times fears an overzealous reaction to the
bombings.
VOICE: Moscow has become a city of fear. Three
terrorist explosions in the last two weeks, one
in a shopping mall, two others in apartment
buildings, have taken more than 260 lives.
Authorities blame separatists from Chechnya, the
largely Muslim territory in the Caucasus whose
independence movement in 1994 drew Russian
troops into a disastrous and inconclusive . war.
More recently Russia has had to deal with a
rebellion in Dagestan, which is being aided by
neighboring Chechnya. ... The bombings have
diverted attention from Russia'' high-level
financial saanbdals, some of them touching
President Boris ... Yeltsin and his family.
They have also raised concerns that [Mr.]
Yeltsin could use the threat to domestic
security to proclaim a state of emergency ...
[permitting] him to order postponement of
December's parliamentary elections and possibly
even next summer's presidential balloting. . The
threat of domestic terrorism always puts the
rule of law at some risk. The challenge for
Russia is to meet this crisis without recourse
to regressive measures.
TEXT: Turning to Florida, The Miami Herald is also
concerned about the bombings, and says in its under
headline on the editorial, "No state can tolerate
indiscriminate mass killings."
VOICE: In the catalog of human atrocities, few can
match the sheer terror caused by the
indiscriminate mass-bombing campaign now being
waged against the Russian people. . The bombings
have exacted a heavy toll: They are anonymous;
no one claims responsibility. They are random.
And there seems no end to them. The carnage is
reminiscent of the horrific chaos wreaked by
Timothy McVeigh, whose bomb [at the Murrah
Federal Office building in Oklahoma City] tore
through concrete and human tissue like paper
through a shredder. In Russia, five buildings
have been leveled and nearly 300 innocent
people-men, women and children-have been killed.
Dozens more are seriously injured. . Their
objective is plain: to create massive public
disorder and chaos, thereby undermining the very
foundation of Russian society. Unfortunately,
considering Russia's enormous social, political
and economic troubles that have come with the
breakup of the Soviet Union, that may be easier
to do than might otherwise be the case.
TEXT: The views of The Miami Herald. On the North
Pacific Coast, The Oregonian in Portland, laments that
as "Russia fights terrorism in its cities, Americans
should worry about Russia's stability.
VOICE: In themselves, the bombings may not be as
important as the economic and political chaos
that has engulfed Russia since the demise of the
Soviet Union, nearly a decade ago. But the
attacks serve to remind Russians that their
leaders are not only incompetent and corrupt,
but that they are undependable.
TEXT: Back in Florida, The St. Petersburg Times
focuses on the corruption aspect of Russia's current
troubles:
VOICE: Boris Yeltsin called President Clinton the
other day to tell him he didn't need to pay any
attention to those nasty rumors of rampant
corruption within [Mr.] Yeltsin's inner circle.
Thanks for the call, Boris. But the evidence of
widespread corruption-official thievery on a
scale that threatens the political and economic
reforms that are crucial to Russia's future-
cannot
TEXT: The New York Times worries that as the wave of
terrorist bombings continues, the police response in
arresting people merely on their looks may make things
even worse.
VOICE: The fear and anger in Russia are
understandable. Terrorism has struck people in
their homes, with bombs exploding in Moscow and
. the south, killing about 300 people at night
... Government officials, including President
Boris Yeltsin, have spoken admirably about the
need to find these terrorists without turning a
crucial search into a racist crusade. . Yet,
among the alarming reports coming out of Moscow
in the past few days are stories of police
officers conducting the wholesale roundup of
those who look as if they come from the Caucasus
region of the country. .. The bombing deaths of
so many innocent Russians are a terrible tragedy
that can only be made worse by any overreaction
that tampers with Russia's democratic progress.
TEXT: A comment by The New York Times.
And in Texas, The Dallas Morning News, suggests that"
the bombings could presage [a] crackdown," adding:
VOICE: Unfortunately, a growing sense of desperation
can only play into the hands of those
responsible for what Russian President Boris
Yeltsin calls terrorism. Mr. Yeltsin is right
to advise Muscovites and all Russians against
overreacting. Indeed, he and other political
leaders in Russia should repeat the message like
a mantra as the country nears parliamentary
elections scheduled for December. . Terrorists
will do what terrorists will do. But the
statesmanship of Russia's political leadership
is now to be measured by the degree to which it
balances the need for security with the need for
restraint and good judgment.
TEXT: On that rather ominous note, we conclude this
sampling of U-S editorial comment on the current
situation in Russia.
NEB/ANG/gm/
20-Sep-1999 17:18 PM EDT (20-Sep-1999 2118 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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