DATE=1/27/2000
TYPE=NEWS ANALYSIS
TITLE=ALBRIGHT / RUSSIA (UPDATE)
NUMBER=45329
BYLINE=KYLE KING
DATELINE=STATE DEPARTMENT
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
/// EDS: Secretary Albright departs for Davos,
Switzerland, around midnight E-S-T Thursday.
Overnights in Davos, Friday and Saturday, before
flying on to Moscow. ///
INTRO: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright travels
to Moscow Sunday for a visit that will include her
first meeting with acting President Vladimir Putin.
As VOA's Kyle King reports from the State Department,
officials are still trying to get the measure of the
man who has become the leading candidate in Russia's
upcoming presidential elections.
TEXT: The Secretary's visit to Moscow (Jan 30 to Feb
1) will be her first since Vladimir Putin was named
acting Russian president on New Year's eve.
State Department officials say Ms. Albright will use
her talks to get a first hand assessment of how he
intends to operate as acting President.
Mr. Putin, a former KGB intelligence officer, has been
the leading supporter of the Russian military campaign
in Chechnya, a campaign that has repeatedly been
questioned by U-S officials, who have, among other
things, expressed concerns about civilian casualties.
During a Speech in Washington last week, Ms. Albright
praised Mr. Putin as one of the country's leading
reformers. But noting his past as an intelligence
officer and his policy in Chechnya, she said there was
also a tough side to the man.
Nevertheless, Ms. Albright said it is in the U-S
national interest to work with the Russian government
on a host of issues.
/// ALBRIGHT ACT ///
So we are not kind of starry eyed (unduly
optimistic) about Russia, we are realistic about
the difficult problems, but also understand the
importance of pushing, and working with them and
having it seen as being in our national interest
that we continue to provide assistance in the
form of threat reduction and assistance to
various parts of their civil society.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Albright will spend much of her time in Russia
meeting with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Those
talks are expected to focus on arms control, the war
in Chechnya, and Russian economic policies.
On arms control, the two sides are trying to move
forward on a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that
would slash the number of U-S and Russian nuclear
warheads by one half. The Russian Parliament has
still not ratified the Treaty, which was approved by
the U-S Senate in 1996.
U-S tests of a proposed missile defense system are
expected to complicate the arms control talks. Russia
has repeatedly said that U-S efforts to develop an
anti-ballistic missile defense system are a violation
of the anti-ballistic treaty. State Department
officials say they would like to see Russia agree to
"modest adjustments."
The financial side of the talks should be less
contentious. The Clinton administration plans to
provide about one-point-one billion dollars in
assistance to Russia this year. Much of the money is
for programs aimed at reducing the country's aging
nuclear stockpiles and providing support for Russian
scientists to help prevent them from selling their
expertise to other nations.
In addition to bilateral relations, Ms. Albright will
also use her trip to Russia to co-chair a Middle East
peace conference. The goal of the February first
session is to promote economic ties between Israel and
its Arab neighbors.
Though Secretary Albright says she views Mr. Putin as
a leading Russian reformer, U-S officials make it
clear that Washington's policy toward Moscow will be
guided more by Russia's actions than by what its
leaders say about reform. (Signed)
NEB/KBK/KL/PT
27-Jan-2000 17:39 PM EDT (27-Jan-2000 2239 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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