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DATE=12/9/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON-CHECHNYA (L)
NUMBER=2-256994
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  President Clinton is defending his criticism 
of the Russian military campaign in Chechnya in the 
face of a verbal attack from Russian President Boris 
Yeltsin.  While visiting China, Mr. Yeltsin said he 
will not be pressured or dictated to by the United 
States.  V-O-A's David Gollust has details from the 
White House.
TEXT:  Mr. Clinton dismissed Mr. Yeltsin's comment 
that he had forgotten Moscow is a nuclear power with 
his criticism of the Chechnya situation.  President 
Clinton says he feels an obligation to criticize 
Russian leaders, or anyone else, when he thinks their 
policies are wrong.
In an impromptu talk with reporters, the President 
again said he has some sympathy for the objectives of 
the Russian military drive in Chechnya.  But he said 
uprooting the civilian population will not help 
Moscow:
            /// CLINTON ACTUALITY ///
      Their goal - their legitimate goal - is to 
      defeat the Chechen rebels and to stop their 
      terrorism within Russia, to stop their invasion 
      of neighboring provinces like Dagestan.  And I 
      do not think displacing hundreds-of-thousands of 
      civilians will achieve that goal. 
            /// END ACT ///
In a light-hearted manner, Mr. Clinton said President 
Yeltsin had apparently not forgotten the United States 
was a major power when he bitterly criticized the U-S 
led NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo earlier this year.  
He suggested there should be less attention to the 
rhetoric of the leaders and more on their actions: 
            /// CLINTON ACT ///
      Let us focus on what the country is doing.  Is 
      it right or wrong?  Will it work or not?  What 
      are the consequences?  I do not agree with what 
      is going on there.  And I think I have an 
      obligation to say so.
            /// END ACT ///
The President has said Moscow will pay a price for its 
actions in Chechnya, including its ultimatum to 
citizens of the capital, Grozny, to leave the city by 
Saturday. 
At a news conference Wednesday, Mr. Clinton depicted 
the military campaign as a self-inflicted wound that 
will be costly and politically damaging to Russia 
internally.  And he said it would affect the attitude 
of the international community toward Russia in ways 
that can not yet be fully predicted.   (SIGNED)
NEB/DAG/ENE/RAE
09-Dec-1999 09:48 AM EDT (09-Dec-1999 1448 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.