NEWSBRIEFS (03/23/97)

NEWSBRIEFS

Yeltsin speaks on eve of summit

MOSCOW - In a March 17 press conference broadcast on Russian TV, President Boris Yeltsin said his March 20-21 summit meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton will have a "fundamentally special character," because it will determine the nature of the Russian- American "partnership." Mr. Yeltsin said he would ask Mr. Clinton why Russian-American relations are "one-sided"; he complained about American trade restrictions, the holding of NATO exercises in the Black Sea "against Russia's wishes," and the "exclusion" of Russia from international organizations "because of opposition from the United States." Arguing that "NATO is an American organization," he reiterated Moscow's opposition to the alliance's expansion, and "ruled out" suggestions that Russia might join the alliance, unless it transforms itself into a purely political organization. He also warned that START III talks could not begin until the Moscow and Washington resolve their differences over the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. In an interview on March 14, President Yeltsin cautioned that his upcoming meeting with President Clinton might not resolve the dispute over NATO enlargement, saying the session would be "the hardest in the history of Russian-American relations," Reuters reported. Mr. Yeltsin insisted that a "categorical condition" of any Russia-NATO agreement was that the alliance not offer membership to former Soviet republics. He expressed "alarm" at NATO efforts to build ties with those states, including NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana's recent Central Asian tour. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Primakov in D.C. to discuss summit

WASHINGTON - After his March 17 meeting with President Clinton, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Yevgenii Primakov told journalists that during his three-day visit to the U.S., Russian and American diplomats had made a progress at narrowing the gap between Russian and Western visions of a NATO-Russia charter, ITAR-TASS reported. He asserted that Washington "understands our arguments" in favor of the charter taking the form of a legally binding international agreement, a position NATO leaders have consistently rejected in the past. Mr. Primakov insisted that Russia "will not change its position on the NATO enlargement issue," but said Moscow wants "normal" relations with the alliance. U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the minister's visit was "productive," but added that the U.S. position on enlargement remains "unchanged," and concluded that "we are still far from signing" a Russia-NATO agreement. Mr. Primakov had arrived in Washington on March 15 for talks with Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen and President Clinton. The talks focused on preparations for the rescheduled March 20-21 U.S.-Russian summit in Helsinki, which was postponed one day to allow Mr. Clinton to recover from a minor knee surgery. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Kuchma reacts to Russia's NATO position

KYIV - In an interview on the Ukrainian TV talk show "Pislia Mova," President Leonid Kuchma said Russia's aggressive policy toward Ukraine was pushing Kyiv into seeking NATO membership, NTV and Agence France Presse reported on March 17. Mr. Kuchma said the alliance could be salvation for Ukraine from Moscow if Russia continues to pursue its current policies. However, he said Ukraine's current neutral status is in everyone's interests, including NATO, Russia, Europe and the CIS. President Kuchma also said Ukraine could not exist within the CIS system, as it has its own individual characteristics and its own destiny. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Latvia criticizes Yeltsin's position

RIGA - Officials at Latvia's Foreign Affairs Ministry on March 15 condemned as "unacceptable" Russian President Boris Yeltsin's strong opposition to the Baltic states' membership in NATO. Mr. Yeltsin said in a statement on March 14 that Russia is against any of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO in any form. The ministry's statement said President Yeltsin's statement is inconsistent with the principles of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which recognize the sovereign rights of all countries to choose their means of security, including membership in defense organizations and alliances. (OMRI Daily Digest)

NATO: no additional permanent forces

BRUSSELS - In another step to allay Russian concerns about NATO expansion, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana announced on March 14 that "in the current and foreseeable security environment," the alliance does not plan "additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces" in Europe. Moscow has previously dismissed such assurances as insufficient, instead demanding that any NATO-Russia charter impose legally binding limits on NATO deployments in new East European members. (OMRI Daily Digest)

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