DATE=1/5/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON-PUTIN
NUMBER=5-45181
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Last week's resignation of Russian President
Boris Yeltsin and his hand-over of power to Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin took the Clinton
administration by surprise. And it has touched off
debate both within the administration and among U-S
Russia experts about the direction the now-acting
president Putin will take his country. VOA's David
Gollust has this background report from the White
House.
TEXT: President Yeltsin's resignation on New Year's
eve brought an abrupt end to a U-S policy that for
years had relied on the personal rapport between
President Clinton and his Russian counterpart.
It had been apparent that Mr. Putin was a rising star
in Russian politics. But his sudden accession to power
left the administration scrambling for more insight on
a man who on the one hand was a former Soviet K-G-B
official, but later a reform-minded city official in
St Petersburg.
President Clinton hailed President Yeltsin's career
when he stepped down last Friday but the next day was
reaching out to his successor by telephone and voicing
hope they can work together despite differences -
notably Mr. Putin's tough line on Chechnya.
The President and Mr. Putin had met twice, mostly
recently in November in Oslo when they had what U-S
officials said was a difficult meeting on Chechnya and
arms control. However since the change in Moscow
administration officials have been stressing the
positive, including Secretary of State Madaleine
Albright in an a N-B-C television appearance Sunday:
///Albright actuality///
I think that he is a competent man and we
believe that Russia is running according to a
rational system. There are lots of people in the
government that we work with, and our experience
with acting president Putin so far has been
good. But again actions are very important. And
I don't want to recreate an enemy here. I think
it's very important.
///end act///
But the administration's insistence that the change in
power was an achievement for Russian democracy is
being challenged by U-S policy experts. Paul Saunders,
director of the Nixon Center in Washington, told VOA
Mr. Yeltsin's departure in favor of his protege was a
"transparent" maneuver to get around the democratic
process - and bodes ill for the Russian presidential
election in March:
///Saunders actuality///
The way that this election has already been
structured through Yeltsin's premature
resignation was really a clear attempt to short-
circuit the electoral process. We have to
remember here that Russia is a presidential
system, not a parliamentary system. So it's not
a normal procedure for a head of the country to
resign early just to make it easier for his
successor to be voted into office.
///end act///
Mr. Saunders' concern is shared by Michael McFaul, a
senior associate in Russian politics at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace. He says it was a
mistake to move up the elections to March and it would
be a "terrible tragedy" if - as it appears at this
point -- Mr. Putin faces no significant opposition in
the March voting.
But Mr. McFaul welcomed the Clinton administration's
open approach to the new Russian leader, whom he said
may prove to be more effective than Mr. Yeltsin in
handling a troublesome parliament on economic reform
and arms control:
///McFaul actuality///
I think the Administration has handled it right,
and particularly Secretary Albright's statement
that we don't want to re-create an enemy before
we know who it is. I think we need to have an
open mind about Putin. Of course his background
worries us. Of course what he's done in Chechnya
worries us. But he's done other very positive
things already as acting President. For instance
the people he works with in terms of his
economic policy are market-reformers. He's
stated that he wants to pass the START-Two
treaty. That's a good sign for U-S-Russian
interests. I think we need to have an open mind
and judge him by his actions, not by his resume.
///end act///
The Nixon Center's Mr. Saunders said he disputes the
notion Mr. Putin should be seen as a reformer based on
his service as St. Petersburg deputy mayor, which he
says was marred by charges of corruption at city hall.
But he, too, says the acting president should be
judged ultimately by his performance in office:
///Saunders act two///
No one should be considered to be entirely
hostage to their past. And I think we should be
prepared to approach Mr. Putin with an open mind
and judge him on the basis of what he does as
Russia's acting president. That means paying a
lot of attention to how this election campaign
is conducted, whether it's fair or not, how he
campaigns, what does he do about Chechnya, if
he's elected, what does he do about corruption
and some of the other challenges facing Russia.
///end act///
Both Mr. Saunders and the Carnegie Endowment's Mr.
McFaul said they are troubled that Russia has been an
issue in the U-S presidential campaign, with Mr. Putin
and his handling of Chechnya coming under criticism
from Republicans George W. Bush and John McCain, and
Democrat Bill Bradley.
Mr. Saunders says if Mr. Putin is drawn into exchanges
with U-S candidates it could lead to what he termed
"an escalating cycle of rhetoric that no one
particularly needs." (Signed)
NEB/DAG/PT
05-Jan-2000 18:46 PM EDT (05-Jan-2000 2346 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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