DATE=6/24/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43716
TITLE=RUSSIA / U-S
BYLINE=ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: MANY RUSSIAN ANALYSTS ARE SAYING VERY LITTLE WAS
ACCOMPLISHED DURING LAST WEEK'S MEETING IN COLOGNE, GERMANY,
BETWEEN PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, BORIS
YELTSIN. AS CORRESPONDENT ANDRE DE NESNERA REPORTS FROM MOSCOW,
EXPERTS SAY THE LACK OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS DUE IN LARGE PART TO
THE FACT THAT BOTH LEADERS LEAVE OFFICE AFTER THEIR CURRENT
TERMS.
TEXT: THE G-8 SUMMIT MEETING IN COLOGNE, GERMANY, WAS SEEN BY
MANY ANALYSTS AS AN EXERCISE IN "FENCE-MENDING" BETWEEN THE
WESTERN POWERS AND RUSSIA, FOLLOWING STORMY RELATIONS WHICH
BREWED UP DURING THE KOSOVO CRISIS. THE EXPERTS SAY THE ATTEMPT
TO PATCH-UP RELATIONS CONTINUED DURING THE MEETING BETWEEN
PRESIDENT CLINTON AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT YELTSIN FOLLOWING THE
SUMMIT.
ANDREI KORTUNOV HEADS MOSCOW'S "POLITICAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION."
HE SAYS THAT WHILE BOTH MEN WERE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THEIR ALREADY
WELL-KNOWN POSITIONS ON VARIOUS ISSUES, THE SUMMIT ITSELF WAS OF
LITTLE IMPORTANCE, BECAUSE LEADERSHIP TERMS FOR BOTH MEN ARE
NEARING AN END.
/// KORTUNOV ACT ///
BOTH PRESIDENTS AGREED THAT IT WAS NOT IN THEIR
INTERESTS TO ROCK THE BOAT; THAT THEY AT LEAST TRIED TO
PRESERVE THE IMAGE OF A GOOD RELATIONSHIP AND STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA; THAT
THEY SHOULD AVOID ATTEMPTS THAT MIGHT SOMEHOW NEGATIVELY
INFLUENCE POSITIONS OF THE OTHER SIDE. SO I GUESS THAT
IT WAS PREDOMINANTLY A STATUS QUO SUMMIT.
/// END ACT ///
DURING THEIR COLOGNE MEETING, PRESIDENT YELTSIN AGREED TO OPEN
DISCUSSIONS ON POSSIBLY MODIFYING THE 1972 ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE
TREATY. WESTERN NEWS REPORTS HAILED THAT AS A MAJOR STEP
FORWARD, SINCE RUSSIA HAS UP TO NOW ADAMANTLY REFUSED TO DISCUSS
CHANGES TO THAT TREATY. BUT RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN DMITRY
YAKUSHKIN RECENTLY INSISTED MR. YELTSIN SAID NOTHING NEW ON THE
SUBJECT WHILE IN COLOGNE.
VIKTOR KREMENYUK IS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MOSCOW'S "U-S-A AND CANADA
INSTITUTE." HE SAYS HE IS NOT SURE DISCUSSIONS ON THE A-B-M
TREATY -- IF THEY OCCUR -- WILL BE FRUITFUL. BUT HE SAYS IT WAS
IMPORTANT FOR THE TWO LEADERS TO INDICATE THEIR SINCERE DESIRE TO
REOPEN THIS DIALOGUE.
/// KREMENYUK ACT ///
THAT IS A GOOD STEP FORWARD. BUT I AM AFRAID THAT THEY
HAVE DECIDED TO PUT UNDER THE CARPET ALL THE DIFFERENCES
WHICH HAVE COME BECAUSE OF THE WAR IN YUGOSLAVIA, OR
BECAUSE OF IRAQ, OR BECAUSE OF IRAN, OR ANY OTHER AREAS
WHERE WE DIFFER, WHERE WE EVIDENTLY HAVE DIRECT
CONTROVERSIES. AND NO EFFORT WAS MADE ON THE PART OF
BOTH NATIONS TO BRIDGE THEM.
/// END ACT ///
A DAY AFTER THE YELTSIN-CLINTON MEETING, RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF
PARLIAMENT -- THE DUMA -- DECIDED TO BEGIN DISCUSSIONS IN AUGUST
ON RATIFYING THE 1993 "START-TWO" TREATY ON STRATEGIC ARMS
LIMITATIONS. THAT TREATY CALLS ON EACH SIDE TO BRING THE NUMBER
OF NUCLEAR WARHEADS FROM AROUND SIX-THOUSAND DOWN TO 35-HUNDRED.
THE U-S SENATE RATIFIED IT IN 1996 -- BUT THE DUMA HAS NEVER
STARTED THE RATIFICATION PROCESS.
//REST OPT/// MR. KORTUNOV BELIEVES THAT WHETHER THE TREATY IS
RATIFIED OR NOT, RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES WILL BEGIN WHAT
HE CALLS A "PROCESS OF STRATEGIC DISENGAGEMENT."
// SECOND KORTUNOV ACT //
IN THE SENSE THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL BE GUIDED BY
ITS OWN STRATEGIC CONCERNS, WHICH HAVE ALREADY LITTLE TO
DO WITH RUSSIA. THERE ARE NEW THREATS AND NEW CHALLENGES
LOOMING OVER THE HORIZON. ON THE OTHER HAND, RUSSIA,
WHICH IS LESS AND LESS CAPABLE OF KEEPING EVEN SYMBOLIC
PARITY WITH THE UNITED STATES IN THE STRATEGIC FIELD,
WILL PROBABLY BECOME ISOLATIONIST IN THIS FIELD -- LIKE
FRANCE WAS DURING THE REIGN OF (PRESIDENT) GENERAL
(CHARLES) DE GAULLE.
// END ACT //
ANDREI KORTUNOV SAYS RUSSIAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS CONTINUE TO BE A
REFLECTION OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES'
PRESIDENTS. BUT HE SAYS IN THE CASE OF PRESIDENTS CLINTON AND
YELTSIN -- UNFORTUNATELY -- THEIR RELATIONSHIP HAS VERY LITTLE
SUBSTANCE. (SIGNED)
NEB/ADEN/PCF
24-Jun-99 10:24 AM EDT (1424 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
