DATE=09/07/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10899
TITLE=THE "IRRELEVANT" SUMMIT AND RUSSIA'S ONGOING CRISIS
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: NOW THAT THE MOSCOW SUMMIT IS OVER, THE U-S PRESS IS
COMMENTING ON THE MEETING, AS WELL AS RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC CRISIS.
WE CALL ON _____________ NOW FOR A SAMPLING IN TODAY'S U-S
OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS HAVE NOT BEEN KIND TO PRESIDENT BILL
CLINTON OR RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN IN RECENT DAYS. TWO
OF THIS COUNTRY'S LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL DAILIES, "THE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE" AND "THE WASHINGTON POST" USED THE WORD "I R R E
L E V A N T" IN THE EDITORIALS THEY WROTE ABOUT THE MOSCOW
SUMMIT. WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING WITH PART OF "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S
COMMENT.
VOICE: A COUPLE MORE SUMMITS LIKE THE ONE HE JUST FINISHED IN
MOSCOW AND BILL CLINTON WILL HAVE TO START DUSTING OFF
THOSE SPEECHES ABOUT WHY THE PRESIDENT IS RELEVANT.
WITH RUSSIA'S DOMESTIC ECONOMICS AND POLITICS SPINNING
ALMOST OUT OF CONTROL AND ORDINARY RUSSIANS LINED UP TO
TRY TO RETRIEVE DEVALUED MONEY FROM BANKS, [THE] MEETING
BETWEEN THE CHIEFS OF STATE OF THE U-S AND RUSSIA SEEMED
SUPREMELY IRRELEVANT. [MR.] CLINTON'S STAY-THE-COURSE
HOMILY TO AN AUDIENCE OF STUDENTS AND YOUNG BUSINESS
LEADERS, ALTHOUGH SUBSTANTIVELY DEAD RIGHT, MUST HAVE
SEEMED A JOKE TO MUCH OF RUSSIA. THANKS PARTLY TO THE
ERRATIC LEADERSHIP OF BORIS YELTSIN AND LARGELY TO THE
MULISH RESISTANCE OF UNRECONSTRUCTED COMMUNISTS, RUSSIA
HAS NEVER REALLY EXPERIENCED ECONOMIC REFORM. ... WHAT
RUSSIA NOW NEEDS, ONLY RUSSIANS, REALLY, CAN SUPPLY.
SOMEHOW, FROM SOME SOURCE, THEIR LEADERS MUST FIND THE
GUMPTION TO ESTABLISH A FIRM, FUNCTIONING, CREDIBLE RULE
OF LAW. ONLY WHEN CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND OTHER LEGAL
INSTRUMENTS CAN BE DEPENDED UPON WILL OUTSIDE INVESTORS
FEEL TRULY COMFORTABLE DOING BUSINESS IN RUSSIA.
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST" PUT IT THIS WAY.
VOICE: THE U-S AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS TRIED TO CONVEY AN
IMPRESSION OF BUSINESS-AS-USUAL IN THEIR MOSCOW SUMMIT
..... BUT THEIR SHOW DIDN'T FOOL ANYONE. RUSSIA HAS
FALLEN INTO CRISIS. ... THERE IS NO WORKING
GOVERNMENT. THE RUBLE HAS LOST HALF ITS VALUE IN RECENT
DAYS, AND THE STOCK MARKET VIRTUALLY ALL ITS VALUE. MR.
CLINTON WAS NOT WRONG TO GO TO MOSCOW. THE U-S-RUSSIA
RELATIONSHIP REMAINS CRITICAL. THAT RUSSIA HAS REMAINED
WITHIN ITS CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK THUS FAR IN THIS
CRISIS PROVIDES SOME COMFORT. BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE
MISLED ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT LIE AHEAD.
TEXT: IN AN EDITORIAL WRITTEN ON THE EVE OF THE SUMMIT, "THE ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH" SAYS THE CURRENT RUSSIAN REVOLUTION [FROM
COMMUNISM TO CAPITALISM] IS UNRAVELING.
VOICE: 'THIS REVOLUTION HASN'T FAILED, BUT THE ESSENTIALS
REMAIN TO BE ACHIEVED.' THAT'S HOW CZECH PRESIDENT
VACLAV HAVEL DESCRIBED THE DISARRAY IN THE CZECH
REPUBLIC AND OTHER EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AFTER THE
HEADY SUCCESS OF THE VELVET REVOLUTION. MR. HAVEL'S
OBSERVATION WOULD SEEM OVERLY OPTIMISTIC AS A
DESCRIPTION OF RUSSIA TODAY. SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE
BREAKUP OF THE SOVIET UNION, RUSSIA NOW STANDS ON THE
VERGE OF A BREAKDOWN. AFTER YEARS OF GLOWING PROMISES
OF PROSPERITY AND FREEDOM - - PROMISES MADE BUT LEFT
UNFULFILLED - - RUSSIANS MAY FINALLY HAVE REACHED THE
TUNNEL AT THE END OF THE LIGHT. [EDITORS NOTE: THIS IS A
PLAY ON WORDS FROM THE OFT' USED AMERICAN EXPRESSING TO
SUGGEST THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF A SERIOUS PROBLEM:
"REACHING THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL."] NOTHING
IN THE PAST FEW DAYS - - OR PAST FEW YEARS, TO BE
HONEST - - INDICATES THAT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS
YELTSIN, A LAME DUCKSKI OF THE FIRST ORDER, IS PREPARED
TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE A MODERN DEMOCRACY OR
FREE-MARKET ECONOMY. HE'LL BE LUCKY IF HE CAN [STOP]
THE BLEEDING.
TEXT: THE ASSESSMENTS OF THE SUMMIT WERE N O T ALL NEGATIVE
HOWEVER. IN FLORIDA, "THE ORLANDO SENTINEL" SUGGESTS THAT THERE
WERE "GAINS IN MOSCOW."
VOICE: TWO PRESIDENTS ... BOTH EMBATTLED ON THE DOMESTIC FRONT,
FOUND A MEASURE OF SUCCESS THIS WEEK DEALING WITH
WEIGHTY INTERNATIONAL MATTERS. CEREMONY ASIDE, THEIR
SUMMIT MEETING IN MOSCOW HELD KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR
BOTH. SOME WERE CONCRETE, SUCH AS A COMMITMENT FOR EACH
NATION TO DISPOSE OF [MORE THAN] 45-THOUSAND KILOGRAMS
OF WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM AND ANOTHER TO EXPAND THE
SHARING OF INFORMATION ABOUT MISSILE LAUNCHES. THOSE
AGREEMENTS WILL HELP ... MAKE THE WORLD SAFER. PERHAPS
MORE IMPORTANT, THOUGH, THE TWO PRESIDENTS HAD A GLOBAL
STAGE FROM WHICH TO EMPHASIZE THEIR PRINCIPAL CONCERNS.
TEXT: FOR THE VIEW FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNICATIONS
HUB, WE TURN TO "THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE," WHICH NOTED:
VOICE: AS SURREAL STATECRAFT, THE CLINTON TRIP TO MOSCOW WOULD
BE HARD TO TOP. THE RUBLE SANK SOUTH DAY BY DAY, THE
COUNTRY'S FEUDING PARLIAMENT REJECTED PRESIDENT BORIS
YELTSIN'S NOMINEE FOR PRIME MINISTER, AND LONG LINES
FORMED AT BANKS WITHIN SIGH OF PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADES.
MEANWHILE, THE TWO LEADERS SIGNED TWO MODEST AGREEMENTS
ON ARMS CONTROL AND BEAR-HUGGED LIKE OLD CHUMS. A JOINT
PRESS CONFERENCE IN A GILDED HALL WAS NOTABLE FOR [MR.]
CLINTON'S WEARY BODY LANGUAGE ..... A STILTED EXERCISE
IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY THAT MOCKS THE IMPORTANT BUSINESS
THAT BROUGHT THE TWO MEN TOGETHER.
TEXT: IN SUNDAY'S [9/6] "NEW YORK TIMES," A PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN
HISTORY AT ENGLAND'S CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, AILEEN KELLY, WRITES A
POTENTIALLY CHILLING SCENARIO FOR THE NEAR FUTURE.
VOICE: ... THE PRESENT CRISIS INCREASES THE POSSIBILITY THAT A
CHARISMATIC LEADER COULD APPEAR ON THE SCENE AND PROMISE
TO MOLD THE HALF-BAKED IDEAS OF VARIOUS GROUPS INTO A
DOCTRINE OF NATIONAL SALVATION WITH MASS APPEAL.
WHETHER THIS WILL HAPPEN DEPENDS TO A LARGE EXTENT ON A
NATIONAL DEBATE OCCURRING WITHIN RUSSIA, WHERE
INTELLECTUALS ARE CONTINUING TO REDEFINE THEIR CULTURAL
AND NATIONAL IDENTITY, EXAMINING ITS STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES IN LIGHT OF THE COMMUNIST CATASTROPHE. ...
THANKS TO THEIR SPECTACULARLY INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT,
RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN UNDERGOING A HARSH TRAINING COURSE IN
THE SELF-RELIANCE THAT IS THE BASIS OF POLITICAL
MATURITY. ... A POLITICAL MELTDOWN MAY YET BRING THE
RUSSIAN RIGHT TO POWER, BUT IT WILL THEN HAVE TO CONTEND
WITH A POPULATION THAT IS BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND ITS
PAST WELL ENOUGH TO HAVE A FAIR CHANCE OF NOT REPEATING
IT.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF COMMENT ON THE
JUST-CONCLUDED MOSCOW SUMMIT AND RUSSIA'S CONTINUING ECONOMIC
PROBLEMS.
NEB/ANG/KL
07-Sep-98 2:41 PM EDT (1841 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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