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  • "All the power is concentrated in the Kremlin"

    RusData Dialine - Russian Press Digest
    February 3, 2005 Thursday

    "All the power is concentrated in the Kremlin"

    by Andrey Terekhov

    SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 20, p.1


    Condoleezza Rice will soon meet with Sergey Lavrov


    Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
    Lavrov will soon hold his first talks with the newly appointed U.S.
    secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. The meeting will take place in
    Ankara, Turkey, which Ms. Rice will visit in the course of her first
    international tour in the new post.

    Russia's and America's top diplomats are to prepare the meeting of
    Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush, due to take place on February 24
    in the capital of Slovakia Bratislava. Washington has already said it
    will put on the talks' agenda certain issues that are likely to make
    Moscow feel uncomfortable, like the excessive centralization of
    power, democratic reforms in Russia, situation in South Ossetia and
    Abkhazia, Transdniestria and Nagorny Karabakh.

    On the eve of the meeting with Lavrov Ms. Rice, whom analysts thought
    will assume a tougher stance in relations with Moscow, refrained from
    making any harsh statements on the situation in Russia. In a recent
    interview with Reuters she said the Washington's policy towards
    Russia won't be revised. "Russia's movement towards democracy has
    been uneven, but the United States understand that today's Russia is
    not USSR and there won't be a return to the Soviet past," the State
    Secretary said. "Our aim is to deepen relations with Russia. However,
    Russia should understand that this is possible only in the presence
    of common values." In her opinion, bilateral relations will improve
    only in case Russia becomes a more democratic country. Rice believes
    the key problem is that currently all the power in this country is
    concentrated in the Kremlin. Still, she stressed that her words
    should be regarded as just a recommendation.

    According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, such cautious tone indicates that
    the U.S. doesn't intend to spoil relations with Russia right now,
    aiming to secure its support in realizing America's international
    plans. This mainly relates to fighting international terrorism and
    nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
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