DATE=5/23/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA / AFGHANISTAN (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262695
BYLINE=PETER HEINLEIN
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir
Putin has warned of possible air strikes against
suspected Chechen rebel bases in Afghanistan. V-O-A's
Peter Heinlein in Moscow reports the warning prompted
sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers and a
condemnation from Taleban officials in Kabul.
TEXT: Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky Tuesday
reiterated that Russia does not rule out air strikes
on suspected Islamic "terrorist bases" in Afghanistan.
Mr. Yastrzhembsky, the Kremlin's chief spokesman on
Chechnya, told reporters a day earlier that such
strikes would be considered if Chechen rebels and
others bent on Islamic revolution are being trained on
Afghan soil.
The threat touched off alarm bells among opposition
leaders in Russia's Duma, or lower house of
parliament. Communist party chief Gennady Zyuganov
called the comments "stupid" and "irresponsible".
/// ZYUGANOV ACT IN RUSSIAN - FADE UNDER
///
He says, "I am more and more convinced the Kremlin is
occupied by people who are ready to wage war against
everyone, against their own people and neighboring
countries."
/// BEGIN OPT ///
Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov says he thinks Mr.
Yastrzhembsky's comments are ill considered and hasty.
/// SELEZNYOV ACT IN RUSSIAN - FADE UNDER
///
He says "This is not a well balanced statement."
The Duma speaker said it is one thing to bomb
Chechnya, and another thing to attack a foreign
country such as Afghanistan.
/// END OPT ///
But spokesman Yastrzhembsky replied to his critics
Tuesday, pointing out that Russia's recently revised
security doctrine allows the Kremlin to use all
forces, including nuclear weapons, in resisting armed
aggression.
/// BEGIN OPT ///
And the chairman of the Duma's Foreign Affairs
Committee, Dmitry Rogozin says he supports Mr.
Yastrzhembsky's position.
/// ROGOZIN ACT IN RUSSIAN - FADE UNDER
///
He says, "If there is a threat to Russia's sovereignty
or security, the government has every right to use
military power the way Mr. Yastrzhembsky described."
/// END OPT ///
In Kabul, a Taliban spokesman condemned the warning,
but promised to continue what he called "moral
support" for the Chechen rebels.
/// BEGIN OPT ///
An internet website operated by the rebels said Mr.
Yastrzhembsky's comments prove that the Kremlin is
preparing for what it called an "anti-Islamic
terrorist war."
Russia's media reported the news with a note of
anxiety. The state-run O-R-T television network
called Mr. Yastrzhembsky's remarks "sensational". The
Segodnya newspaper carried the story under a headline
"Desert Storm in Afghanistan", a reference to the U-S
led "Desert Storm" campaign against Iraq.
But the Segodnya article warned that for Russia, a
second war in Afghanistan would be, in its words
"tantamount to suicide."
/// END OPT ///
The Reuters news agency quotes a prominent Russian
analyst as saying Mr. Yastrzhembsky's threat is most
likely a trial balloon to gauge international
reaction. Analyst Alexei Malashenko says he does not
foresee strikes on Afghanistan any time soon, but adds
"Russia is an unpredictable place." (Signed)
NEB/PFH/JWH/JP
23-May-2000 11:02 AM EDT (23-May-2000 1502 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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