RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 5, No. 29, Part I, 12 February 2001

MOSCOW UPSET BY CIA STUDY... The Foreign Ministry on 9 February released a statement saying that a statement by CIA Director George Tenet is "surprising" in its effort "to present Russia as a culprit in the propagation of weapons of mass destruction" and to suggest that Moscow is always acting against American interests, Interfax reported. The statement said that "the CIA has not very often given a good account of itself," adding that "Tenet's gloomy revelations on Russia and on our relations with the United States may fuel the hawkish moods in the U.S. Congress and be instrumental in increasing the CIA budget, but they do not reflect the facts, nor do they set the priorities of Russian-U.S. cooperation." Moscow has not yet reacted to a statement by U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice who was quoted in the 10 February Paris "Figaro" as saying that "I sincerely believe that Russia constitutes a threat to the West in general and to our European allies in particular." PG

...PLEASED BY BUSH CALL FOR DEFENSE REVIEW. Interfax on 10 February reported that a Russian military spokesman had welcomed the decision of U.S. President George W. Bush to engage in a comprehensive review of American defense policies. Such a review could open the way to talks on a wide variety of issues, the spokesman was quoted as saying. On 9 February, the Foreign Ministry reported that Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov had discussed by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell the possibility of the two meeting in the near future, ITAR-TASS reported. PG

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 5, No. 29, Part I, 12 February 2001