Nothing Good For Russia In Chechnya Campaign, Says U.S
Farhan Siddiqui
WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 1999 -- (Reuters) Russia will become bogged down in
its military offensive in Chechnya, a campaign that promises no
benefits for Moscow but only global isolation, White House National
Security Adviser Sandy Berger said on Sunday.
But Berger said cutting U.S. aid to Russia would hurt American national
interests and would have no impact on Moscow's policy toward the
breakaway region.
Russian forces stepped up their assault on Chechnya's capital Grozny on
Sunday, with warplanes blasting the battered city and rebel strongholds
to the south. Thousands of hungry civilians remained huddled in
Grozny's freezing cellars.
"This is precisely what we warned the Russians against, both publicly
and privately," Berger told the CBS News program "Face the Nation."
"We said to them as firmly as we can, the Europeans have said to them
as firmly ... as they can, 'This is not going to have good results for
Russia,'" Berger added.
Berger said the United States is concerned about civilian casualties
and the refugee crisis caused by the Russian campaign.
"Russia is going to suffer in two ways," Berger said. "It's going to
get bogged down in a conflict in Chechnya - there've been conflicts
between Moscow and the northern Caucasus of Russia for 100 years that
have never come out well for Russia - and it's going to alienate itself
from the international community."
Berger's comments came two days after U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, during a gathering of Group of Eight foreign ministers in
Berlin, confronted Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov with
photographic evidence showing a Chechen village that had been razed
during the offensive.
U.S. DEMANDS POLITICAL SOLUTION
Berger renewed the U.S. call for Russia to begin a dialogue with the
leaders of Chechnya - not the guerrilla leaders Moscow blames for
bombing attacks in Russian cities - to try to produce a political
solution.
But Berger said cutting U.S. financial assistance to Russia would
be "against our interest and would not have an effect on Chechnya."
Berger said three-quarters of U.S. financial aid to Russia pays for
dismantling Russian nuclear missiles, helping the Russians keep control
of their nuclear materials, and other threat-reduction programs.
"Those are in our interests," Berger said.
Berger said most of the rest of the money did not go directly to the
Russian government but to non-governmental programs to nurture an
independent media, cultivate Russian democracy and other purposes.
Discussing future loans to Russia from the International Monetary Fund,
Berger said: "Obviously, we'll act in our national interest in making a
judgment when the time comes on international lending."
Asked what actions the Clinton administration will take, Berger
said: "We'll continue to press them to act in a way that we think makes
sense for them as well as the world."
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