From: "Miroslav Antic" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
NATO will not dissolve itself, neither will it accept Russia in its
ranks
Viktor Sokolov
<http://www.russianobserver.com/images/dot.gif> Interview with the
Vice President of "Reform" Foundation, Andranik Migranyan
Q: Vladimir Putin has just suggested that either NATO dissolves itself
or accepts Russia in its ranks as an equitable partner. What is this -
another invitation for a discussion? Or perhaps, the time has come for
the Alliance to either open its door for Russia or cease its existence?
A: First of all, NATO cannot open its door for Russia, and neither can
it dissolve itself.
Putin's suggestion is, of course, a belated but the same continuation of
the line that was more or less pertinent back in the 1991-1992s.
The idea that it was necessary to dissolve NATO and set up a universal
structure of security for the world and Europe first surfaced after the
Warsaw Treaty Organization dissolved itself.
After that, it was considered pointless to retain NATO since the mutual
threat had disappeared, and there was no military bloc confronting NATO.
However, the West decided to do it in its own way. They decided to turn
NATO into a universal structure of security, without the participation
of Russia.
Moscow's attempts, through Partnership for Peace or the Founding Act of
Russia-NATO, to become a serious factor of international security
actually resulted in nothing.
This can be seen from the Alliance's unilateral decision to bomb
Yugoslavia. This can be seen from the repeated bombings of Iraq by
British and American aircraft. It can be seen in a lot of other events.
That is why Putin's words are seen as a revival of those positions that
Russia at one time upheld, but the West ignored them. And Moscow seemed
to have become accustomed to this.
Q: Why does such a revival come precisely at this time?
A: I think that this is connected with the upcoming next stage of
expanding NATO eastward, with the inclusion of the Baltic states.
The Russian side, in the person of Putin, is coming out with a
forestalling, radical statement on this account.
Putin is not asking why the Alliance needs Eastern Europe? Why it needs
the Baltic states? He puts the question more radically: "Why, in
general, do we need NATO?"
And he replies to this question himself: if NATO is a universal
structure for European security, then it must function together with
Russia's participation.
In the political aspect, I don't think that much will come out of this.
But from the point of view of propaganda, this may have definite
significance during discussions at the G8 summit in Genoa, as well as in
all other discussions where the question of NATO's enlargement comes up.
Q: Perhaps the Russia-NATO Permanent Council will work more
energetically?
A: I've already said that this council is not very effective. We had two
lines in respect to NATO. The first - to cooperate, to become closer to
each other and to try to influence NATO.
The second was to distance ourselves from NATO and to find other
possibilities for opposing NATO's expansion.
The first line led to nothing.
The recent accords with China and Putin's tough statement yesterday
concerning NATO seem to indicate that Russia is departing from its
previous line of nodding "yes" and following in the wake of Western
policy.
_____
C National Information Service Strana.Ru, 2000. RF Press Ministry
Registration Certificate: El.#77-4102 of September 7, 2000.
Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to
http://www.strana.ru/.
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