DATE=6/3/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON - RUSSIA (L)
NUMBER=2-263115
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=BERLIN
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:


INTRO:  President Clinton begins a summit with Russian 
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later today 
(Saturday) expected to focus on arms control.  
Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Berlin, where 
Mr. Clinton departed for the Russian capital.


Text:  U-S officials say they do not expect any arms 
control agreements to result from this summit.  Even 
so, Mr. Clinton says just discussing the issue and 
presenting each country's views will make the visit 
important.

U-S officials are encouraged by comments Mr. Putin 
made in an American television interview earlier this 
week in which he spoke about joint cooperation to 
reduce the global missile threat.  They say that it 
marks the first time a Russian leader has acknowledged 
that such a threat exists.  In the past, they say, 
Russia has portrayed U-S concerns as overblown.

But these officials say the kind of cooperation Russia 
is proposing -- mostly diplomatic and political -- is 
not enough to counter the threat Washington says is 
posed by missile programs of what it calls "rogue 
states" such as North Korea and Iran.  They underscore 
the need for a so-called missile shield.

The United States wants to amend the 1972 Anti-
Ballistic Missile Treaty to allow for deployment of a 
limited national missile defense system.  But Russia 
vehemently opposes the plan, arguing it would re-
launch an arms race.

U-S officials say the proposal is not aimed at Russia, 
but at nations with more limited missile programs.  
Mr. Clinton is not expected to make a decision on 
whether to deploy the system until later this year.

It is just one of several arms control issues on the 
agenda for the summit.  The two leaders also are 
expected to discuss the status of talks on a proposed 
START-Three nuclear arms treaty, which would reduce 
each country's arsenals to not more than 25-hundred 
warheads each.

Russia -- with its cash-strapped military -- wants 
deeper cuts, down to 15-hundred warheads apiece, a 
proposal rejected by top U-S defense officials.

Despite the disagreements over arms control issues, 
the U-S administration is hoping for an accord on 
another issue -- non-proliferation.

U-S National Security Advisor Sandy Berger says the 
pact would focus on the destruction of 34 tons of 
military-grade plutonium on each side.

            /// Berger Act ///

      This is an enormously important agreement if we 
      are able to finalize it.  That is enough 
      plutonium, literally, to make tens of thousands 
      of nuclear weapons.

            /// End Act ///

Mr. Clinton and Mr. Putin have met twice before -- but 
this is their first meeting since Mr. Putin assumed 
the presidency last month.

After enjoying a warm and friendly relationship with 
Mr. Putin's predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, Mr. Clinton 
hopes to forge a close partnership with the new 
Russian leader.

U-S officials' initial reaction to President Putin has 
been mixed.  They welcome his commitment to economic 
reform, but are concerned about his efforts to impose 
central control on regional leaders.

The U-S and Russian leaders are expected to discuss 
economic and political issues, including reform and 
Moscow's crackdown on the breakaway region of 
Chechnya.

In a speech in Aachen (Germany) Friday, Mr. Clinton 
said a top priority for the United States and its 
allies is to seek to integrate Russia into the rest of 
Europe.

            /// Clinton Act ///

      We must work to build a partnership with Russia 
      that encourages stability, democracy and 
      cooperative engagement with the West -- and full 
      integration with global institutions.

            /// End Act ///

While in Moscow, Mr. Clinton will also address the 
Russian Duma (lower house of parliament), the first 
American President ever to do so.   (signed)

NEB/DAT/JP




03-Jun-2000 08:54 AM EDT (03-Jun-2000 1254 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.