DATE=6/4/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA - CLINTON (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263133
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian
President Vladimir Putin are holding a day of talks in
Moscow on issues ranging from arms control to the
Russian economy and western criticism of the war in
Chechnya. Moscow correspondent Eve Conant reports on
how average Russians are viewing Mr. Clinton's visit
and what they are expecting from their new President,
Mr. Putin.
TEXT: Sunday's summit is the first meeting between
President Clinton and President Putin since the
Russian leader was elected by an overwhelming majority
in March.
/// OPT/// Arms control is topping the agenda, but Mr.
Clinton is also expected to express concern over human
rights abuses in Chechnya, as well as question Mr.
Putin's commitment to a free press. ///END OPT///
For Russians, this is the first chance to see their
president interact with the U.S. President, and
expectations are high. Mr. Putin is viewed as a poker-
faced, no nonsense ex-KGB agent, not afraid to stand
up to the West and defend Russia's interests.
The summit also comes at a time when many Russians,
like 25-year old Andres Kapinsh say they have lost
faith in the United States as a country Russia can
trust.
///Act Kapinsh in Russian in full and fade under///
He says, "it's alright for the United States to give
us advice, but not to dictate the rules. No one can
understand our internal problems."
///Begin Opt.///One of those internal problems
expected to come up in Sunday's talks is Moscow's
military offensive in Chechnya, which President Putin
has masterminded.///End Opt.///
Western officials have criticized Russia for its
conduct of the Chechen war, specifically allegations
of human rights abuses committed against Chechen
civilians. But the war here is popular. One young
Russian, Aslan, says he is suspicious of Mr. Clinton
and thinks the United States benefits from the war in
Chechnya.
///Act Aslan in Russian in full and fade under///
He says, "The war helps Mr. Clinton and the United
States because it undermines Russia and makes it
weaker. That is what they want."
But he thinks newly elected President Putin will not
bow down to western pressure the way that he says
President Boris Yeltsin once did.
///Act Aslan in Russian in full and fade under///
He says, "Mr. Putin is much tougher than Mr. Yeltsin
was. He is a K-G-B man to the depths of his soul and
he knows how to play the game."
Other Russians on the streets of Moscow, however, say
they worry that Russia has lost its superpower status
and therefore has little leverage in talks with the
United States.
///Act Fyodorov in Russian in full and fade under///
50 year old teacher Leonid Fyodorov says "when Russia
was once strong, when we had a strong army and
economy, then we could also slam the door on people
and act from a position of power." He says, "but after
all these experiments we've carried out we've lost our
confidence."
///REST IS OPT/// 54-year old Antonina Pronina agrees.
///Act Pronina in Russian in full and fade under///
She says, "Russians have been humiliated by their own
leaders. We still have it in our subconscious that we
are a great power, but in reality we are destroyed. We
might struggle with the United States a little, but
slowly we will yield power to them because we are
weak."
President Clinton will have a chance to hear for
himself what Russians think of his visit later on
Sunday when he will take questions on a call-in
Russian radio program. Russian news agencies say the
questions have already been flooding in. (Signed)
04-Jun-2000 06:14 AM EDT (04-Jun-2000 1014 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
