#6
Financial Times (UK)
18 September 2001
US presses Moscow to act against proliferation
By Robert Cottrell in Moscow
The US is stepping up pressure on Russia and other countries to halt
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the wake of last week's
terrorist attacks.
From being one priority among many, proliferation has become "absolutely
the
highest priority", US undersecretary of state John Bolton said in Moscow on
Monday. "The issue of Russian involvement with questions of proliferation
is
one we find extremely important," he said.
Mr Bolton, who met Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov, said they discussed
the "political and military implications in central Asia of the possible
military action that may come" if the US struck at Afghanistan.
He said Russia had not "ruled anything out" in terms of
co-operation with the
US. But it was "premature" to suggest that the US was seeking use of
military
bases in the Russian-dominated Commmonwealth of Independent States to support
its attack.
Mr Bolton said talks would continue when Mr Ivanov met US secretary of state
Colin Powell in Washington on Wednesday.
By linking the fight against terrorism so directly with the fight against
proliferation, the US is presenting Russia with a tough policy choice.
President Vladimir Putin has pledged to back a worldwide drive against
terrorism. But in the US view, said Mr Bolton, "you cannot seriously argue
that you are addressing the question of international terrorism... unless the
subject of weapons of mass destruction is also resolved".
The US has frequently criticised Russia's close ties with countries such as
Iran and North Korea, which the US ranks as "rogue states".
Mr Bolton said last week's attacks underlined the need for continued
development of US missile defence. "It would be gross negligence for an
American administration not to do whatever it could to defend its innocent
civilians against attack in whatever form", he said.
He said Russia, which wants to preserve the anti-ballistic missile treaty of
1972, was scaling down its opposition. Earlier, Russia had said a US breach
of the ABM treaty might cause the collapse of all other arms-control
treaties. "They're not saying that any more", said Mr Bolton.
Mr Bolton said his talks barely touched on Chechnya, where an upsurge of
violence was reported on Monday. Rebels shot down a Russian helicopter in
Grozny, the capital, killing 10 people including two generals. They attacked
military buildings in several towns and a Russian convoy.
