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[Second Issue of the Day]
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PUNDIT: US PRESENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA HERE TO STAY
MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 6 /from RIA Novosti's Valery Asriyants/ - Sergei Markov, Director of the Institute of Political Studies think tank, believes the United States "intends to secure its military presence in Central Asia." He said that at a news conference in Moscow Wednesday.
He suggested the buildup of US military bases in the region "is not so much directed against Afghanistan as against China." "Washington views China as a rival not only in terms of its military and economic potential, but also in the system of values it believes in," he argued.
Commenting on the relationship between the US and Russia, Markov downplayed talk of mounting differences after the end of the counter-terrorist campaign. "Both sides are willing to cooperate, but there are some problems, notably in the field of cuts in strategic offensive weapons and defenses," he said. "Moscow and Washington have different views on these issues, so they need to narrow these differences." In this connection, he felt encouraged by US Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement that the US is willing to translate a strategic arms deal into legally binding documents. "That is a concession not just to Russia, but to all of the global public opinion, which is interested in a deal of this kind," the political scientist pointed out.
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