DATE=7/27/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U.S. - RUSSIA (L)
NUMBER=2-252207
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
// Gore-Stepashin news conference skedded
5pm edt Tuesday //
Intro: Russia's Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin meets
with President Clinton and Vice President Gore at the
White House (today / Tuesday) for talks on
economic and arms control issues. Correspondent
Deborah Tate reports officials on both sides hope the
meeting will improve bilateral relations, which have
been strained over Moscow's opposition to Nato's
bombing campaign over Yugoslavia.
Text: It is Mr. Stepashin's first visit to the White
House since he was appointed by Russian President
Boris Yeltsin two months ago, and administration
officials are eager to get to know him.
The focus of the Prime Minister's day will be a
meeting of a bilateral commission that he co-chairs
with Mr. Gore - the first such session since NATO's
bombing raids over Yugoslavia.
The commission was last scheduled to meet in March,
but then-Prime Minister Gennady Primakov, en route to
Washington at the time, turned his plane around and
headed back to Russia to protest Nato's decision to
move forward with its campaign against Belgrade -
Moscow's traditional ally.
But President Clinton and Russian President Yeltsin
agreed at a meeting in Cologne, Germany last month to
work toward repairing bilateral ties, and Mr.
Stepashin's visit is seen as an important step in that
direction.
Mr. Stepashin began his day having breakfast with Mr.
Gore at the Vice President's residence, before meeting
with bipartisan Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill.
He told lawmakers he was - in his words - deeply
satisfied with his initial talks with Mr. Gore.
During his commission meeting with the Vice President
later Tuesday, Mr. Stepashin is expected to review the
progress of economic reform in Russia, and pledge that
his country will take steps to restructure its debt
and work with the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank to stabilize its economy. The I.M.F is
expected to decide Wednesday whether to approve a
four-point-five billion dollar loan to Russia.
Also on the agenda are arms control issues. The
Clinton administration would like to work out a
schedule with Russia for another round of cuts in
nuclear weapons, even though the Russian Duma has yet
to ratify the 1993 Start Two treaty, which calls for
major reductions in both countries' long-range nuclear
warheads.
After his talks with Mr. Gore, Mr. Stepashin will meet
with Mr. Clinton for about half an hour, and then
rejoin the Vice President for a joint news conference.
(signed)
Neb/dat/gm
27-Jul-1999 12:47 PM LOC (27-Jul-1999 1647 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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