DATE=12/20/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-S-RUSSIA POL (L)
NUMBER=2-257334
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: U-S officials say Sunday's parliamentary
elections in Russia are an indication that democracy
is taking hold in that country a decade after
Communist rule ended. Correspondent Deborah Tate
reports from the White House.
Text: Although White House spokesman Joe Lockhart
expressed concern about the harsh tenor of the debate
in the days before the election - calling it a very
rough and tumble campaign - he said monitors from the
Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
found that voting took place in a free and fair
manner.
He says the election is an indication that democracy
is taking hold in Russia.
/// LOCKHART ACTUALITY ///
Taking a step back, it says something about the
system in Russia, where elections are becoming
more common, where they turnout is so strong,
and the democratic institutions, regardless of
what you think of who won and who lost, have
become accepted as the norm, and that is a
positive.
/// END ACT ///
The voting provided a ringing endorsement of Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin, who - although he was not on
the ballot - now looks to be the front-runner in the
presidential race to replace President Boris Yeltsin
in June.
Mr. Putin has enjoyed a boost in popularity in large
part because of the popularity of Russia's military
campaign in the breakaway region of Chechnya.
White House spokesman Lockhart acknowledges that
Russians may view the situation in Chechnya
differently than much of the rest of the world. But
he says the international community will continue to
voice its concerns about the way Moscow is waging the
offensive.
/// LOCKHART ACTUALITY ///
The international community is united in its
condemnation of the tactics that are being used.
As the president has said repeatedly, the policy
is counterproductive, that it only emboldens the
enemies of Russia, and will not provide a
solution to this without an active political
dialogue.
/// END ACT ///
The United States has expressed its distress about the
civilian casualties that have resulted from Moscow's
bloody campaign.
Russia says it has sought to limit the number of such
casualties. It has defended its Chechnya operation,
saying it is necessary to root out Islamic insurgents.
(Signed)
NEB/DAT/KL
20-Dec-1999 13:31 PM EDT (20-Dec-1999 1831 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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