STEPASHIN: This will be our first meeting and my first visit to the U.S. as prime minister. I had a number of telephone conversations at a difficult time with the vice president–during the Kosovo settlement. I had the impression that he and I understood each other. There are two tasks I hope to accomplish during the visit. The first is to get to know Gore. I believe good personal contact can be helpful in solving difficult questions. Secondly, we’re going to discuss economic matters. Then, we will discuss the reconstruction of Yugoslavia. I would [also] like to find out what the vice president thinks about the ABM and START II treaties.
No doubt serious damage has been done. However, I believe that our relationship is stable and can’t be shattered even by the war in Yugoslavia. We should draw lessons from Yugoslavia: if we are partners, and we are serious partners, we should respect each other’s positions and strive for compromise before military action begins. At the moment, [Russian-NATO relations] are at an impasse. We are very concerned with NATO expansion eastward.
Nobody has proved that Russia supplies missile technologies to Iran.
The more restrictions that are placed on Russia reaching world markets, the more our companies–in order to survive–will seek any outlet for their goods, even via shady deals.
We shall join the WTO–the only problem is the date of our entry. U.S. [import] restrictions have dealt a serious blow to our steel industry. I would like to note that [Gore] has supported me. But I understand that he and the president must take Congress and the steel lobby into account now that elections are coming up. I also want to raise the issue of the aerospace industry–I am going to Seattle to visit Boeing and will discuss cooperation.
If I give you an open and frank answer, I would be sacked immediately. [That’s] a joke. Of course, in a situation of political instability with elections coming up, rumors are inevitable. I don’t pay much attention because I have been in politics for 10 years and have learned to ignore such rumors. As for the presidential election, the balance of forces will be clear after the elections to the Parliament in December. At that time we shall probably know who the president will support. If you want to ask who I will vote for, I will not cite a name, but I will cite two criteria: first, it must be a person who will not lead us backward; and second, I would not want this person to be of pension age.
It is too early to say now.
I’m 47 years old, and I have no plans to retire.
I believe the episode can be explained by a lack of coordination between our military and NATO.
Kvashnin is a very disciplined general and would never take a decision like that himself.
I am the prime minister, not commander of the armed forces. Of course, the president is the commander in chief. I’m glad our presidents took the initiative into their own hands [to resolve the situation]. Let this be history now.
I would take a different approach to this question. It’s not a matter of banning or not banning the Communist Party. It is a question of any big political party like the communists complying with the Constitution. [They must not] talk about toppling the government or fan ethnic tensions by their electoral rhetoric. This is a serious concern for us. There are other ways to influence political parties–through the Ministry of Justice, the prosecutor’s office and the courts. All these levers will be actively used.
The decision by IMF has been taken. Mostly, the loan we are getting from the IMF will be used to repay our debt to that or- ganization. On the other hand, the World Bank will provide additional loans for the reconstruction of the coal industry and for other programs. Only one year after the default [of last August], we’ve made progress in restructuring the banking system and in containing inflation. I am fully convinced that between now and the end of next year, Russia will not see any major economic and financial shocks because of the work of my government. Our primary task for the long term is to develop a free and attractive investment climate.
We are trying to stop the strife from spreading not only to Dagestan [a neighboring Russian republic] but also to the Stavropol region [of Russia]. We are working every day on this. The most important thing is to improve the economic conditions there because many Chechens lack work or shelter. We should make sure that gangsters do not use the idea of independence as a cover for their criminal activity. The problem of Chechnya’s constitutional status [it is part of the Russian federation though effectively independent] is complicated, but there are things to be discussed. We are now preparing a meeting between Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov and President Yeltsin. I am personally engaged in this. You know I fought in Chechnya… NATO partially repeated our bitter experience when they conducted airstrikes against Yugoslavia and Kosovo. I believe it is an unproductive idea to defend human rights with weapons.
I won’t deny that there is a problem with corruption and organized crime in Russia. However, this is exaggerated by the media and the politicians. The most important problem is economic crime. A special department has been set up in the Interior Ministry to fight money laundering. And we have very good relations with the American law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI and [FBI Director] Louis Freeh. We cooperate on drug smuggling and organized crime.
In concluding, I would like to convey my deep condolences to the Kennedy family. Russians are very nostalgic about the Kennedys. And we are very sorry that such a good young man died so senselessly.
