POLITICS: Russia and US attempt to narrow difference

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Sergei Blagov

MOSCOW, Feb 3 2000 (IPS) - Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, and US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, met in Moscow this week to try to narrow differences in bilateral relations which range from Chechnya to anti-missile defense and Iran.

However, it remains a matter of debate whether Russia can repair relations with the West or if it will drift towards continued diplomatic isolation.

Issues that have soured relations between Russia and the United States include disagreements over NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia and Russia’s military offensive in Chechnya.

On the eve of Albright’s Jan 31 visit, the Kremlin cautiously praised the promise made by US President Bill Clinton in his State of the Union address, to help Russia with its reform programmes.

Russia, however, has described Clinton’s characterisation of the war in Chechnya as “cruel”.

Ivanov and Albright met in Moscow from Jan 31 to Feb 2 but, political analysts say, they appear to have failed to mend rifts on issues like Russia’s military action in Chechnya and arms control.

Albright has reportedly accused Russian forces of the indiscriminate targeting of Chechen civilians and said the military solution in Chechnya was not the answer.

Ivanov, however, insists that Russia is conducting a drive againt international terrorism in Chechnya, saying tough military action is the only solution.

Guennady Zyuganov, head of Russia’s Communist party lashed out at Albright’s critical statements on Chechnya and accused her of “blackmail”.

On the eve of Albright’s visit Russian Communist, Cossack and Orthodox Christian activists picketed the US embassy in Moscow carrying banners accusing Albright of “trying to save Chechen bandits.”

Many Western and Muslim leaders have accused Russia of using indiscriminate force in Chechnya, resulting in high civilian casualties and forcing some 200,000 refugees to flee.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who visited Moscow on Jan 28 and met acting President Vladimir Putin, also called for the end to war in Chechnya.

Russia insists it is targeting only terrorists and has ruled out any negotiations with Chechen militants.

However, on Feb 1, in an apparent attempt to mend rifts with Muslim nations over Chechnya, Russia hosted the first multilateral Middle East talks in more than three years.

Ivanov and Albright jointly chaired the talks which focussed on cross-border issues and brought together representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Canada, the European Union, Japan, China, Switzerland and Norway also participated in the talks which were jointly sponsored by Russia and the US.

Syria and Lebanon boycotted the meeting.

In his address, Putin called for a boost to the Middle East settlement. However, the Kremlin acting boss, who took over from Boris Yeltsin on Dec 31, warned against the dismantling of a major arms control treaty.

President Clinton’s administration is mulling pushing for limited missile defense and this would require changes in the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Russia opposes any treaty modifications, arguing that this would destroy all the arms-control efforts of the last three decades.

Ivanov and Albright seemed to have made no concrete progress on the issue of amending the ABM.

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has worked hard to protect nuclear materials in Russia. Washington has long urged Moscow to prevent nuclear materials and know-how from falling into the hands of Iran, or other aspiring nuclear powers.

However Leonid Melamed, head of Rosenergoatom – a state-owned company that runs Russia’s nuclear power stations – told IPS this week that Russia plans to go ahead with its nuclear plant projects in Iran, India and China.

So it appears that Albright’s visit has not resulted in a mending of fences between Russia and the US. Nevertheless both sides have pledged not to let the disputes sour relations.

Political analysts say financially hamstrung Russia, despite its background of disagreements over Chechnya, will eventually have to repair relations with the West.

However, what remains to be seen is whether Putin, a clear favourite for the Mar 26 presidential race, will pay heed to the vocal Western protests over Chechnya and change his policy.