From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Friday May 11, 9:57 PM Russia rebutts charge it trying to destabilize eastern Europe BRATISLAVA, May 11 (AFP) - Russia slammed plans to expand the NATO military alliance in eastern Europe as a "grave mistake" on Friday and angrily rebutted suggestions it was promoting crime in that region to rebuild "a broad sphere of influence". The reaction came after a document distributed at a summit of former communist states in Bratislava alleged that Moscow was colluding with authoritarian and criminal regimes in eastern Europe. "It is deplorable if the image of an enemy is being created in such a way with the aim of proving the necessity for NATO enlargement," said a statement issued by the Russian embassy in Bratislava. The document, distributed to reporters at a summit of NATO membership candidates by the Slovak organizers, was drawn up by the US-Slovakia Action Commission, comprising experts from two US and Slovak think tanks. "There are strong indications that the Putin regime ... is seeking to rebuild a broad sphere of influence in parts of central and southeastern Europe by forging closer alliances with unstable, authoritarian, anti-American or criminally-connected governments and political forces," it said. "Although the Kremlin is unable to block or veto further NATO enlargement, the Putin presidency seems to be primarily interested in disqualifying the major contenders," it said. "Moscow has endeavoured to subvert their political and economic institutions, to consolidate links with anti-reformist interests groups, to exploit any significant ethnic and religious differences, and to promote organized criminality." The last phrase was followed by an apparent editor's comment, in brackets: "This last statement about promoting criminality is a bit strong and should be toned down!" Moscow's embassy said the statement "can scarcely be taken for a serious political analysis. Insinuations of this kind are very similar to the vocabulary of the Cold War." And it concluded: "We estimate NATO's enlargement plans as a grave mistake, provoking negative changes of military-strategic landscape and division lines in Europe. "Without a democratic Russia Europe cannot be whole and free." There was no immediate comment from the authors of the US-Slovakia Action Commission document, compiled by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
