#9 - JRL 6597
Russian Communist leader laments Kremlin's missed
opportunities
Interfax
December 10, 2002
Russia could have extracted much more from the West in exchange for backing the counterterrorism campaign in Afghanistan, according to Communist Party leader Gennadiy Zyuganov. The Kremlin could have used NATO expansion and debt repayments as bargaining chips, he said. The following is the text of a report in English by Russian news agency Interfax:
Moscow, 10 December: Moscow could have demanded that the West write off half of its debts and refuse to admit the Baltic states to NATO in exchange for Russian assistance in the antiterrorist operation in Afghanistan, Russian Communist Party leader Gennadiy Zyuganov told a Tuesday [10 December] news conference in Moscow.
"For assistance in beating the Taleban in Afghanistan, (we) should have bargained so NATO would not enlarge at least in the Baltics and that half of the debts that are taking the Russian economy to the bottom would be written off," he said.
Zyuganov described NATO enlargement after the Prague summit as "the most tragic decision of the outgoing year". "It is a tragic decision that worsens the situation and places Russia in a difficult position," he said.
"This year, the West did not meet Russia half way, not only in the expulsion of (Chechen separatist emissary Akhmed) Zakayev, but also by admitting into NATO the Baltic states (in) the zone of our vital interests," he said.
Zyuganov said NATO enlargement is a threat not only to Russia, but the Arab world and China. "Russia is regarded as a bridgehead for future geopolitical adventures," he said.
Asked about his attitude on Iraq, Zyuganov said the USA is trying to establish control "over key resources and then dole out oil, gasoline and kerosene to Western countries".
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