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ANALYSIS-Cuban base closure a sea change in Russian
strategy
By Jon Boyle
MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's bold move to close a key Cuban base for eavesdropping on the United States marks a sea change in Russian military strategy, and underscores his desire for a genuine alliance with the West.
Analysts said the move was an example of Putin's ruthless pragmatism, the president scoring points in Washington and telling his military to cut its cloth according to its means, the cash saved to be funnelled into key military reforms.
The strength of the military's opposition to the closure of the Lourdes base -- since 1964 the jewel in the crown of Russian electronic surveillance of the United States -- was apparent by Putin's admission that Wednesday's meeting with his defence chiefs had been "stormy."
"This is a real change in Russian strategic posture, one of the real significant ones after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Europe," said independent defence expert Pavel Felgenhauer.
"Putin is saying to the Russian military: forget about the United States and get down to the business of putting things in order in your own house.
"It's preposterous to spend a lot of money in eavesdropping on the United States when you can't win a war in Chechnya," he said, referring to Russia's two-year battle to restore its rule in the rebel province.
CUBAN FURY
Putin's decision was savaged by Havana, who said the base's closure would pose a "grave risk" to Cuban security and showed that Putin wanted to give a "special present" to U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of a scheduled meeting this weekend.
Bush hailed the decision as "another indication that the Cold War is over... President Putin understands that Russia and America are no longer adversaries."
Putin has offered strong support for Bush's "war on terrorism," launched in the wake of the September 11 hijacked airliner attacks on the United States.
He has offered air corridors for relief aid flights to those displaced by U.S.-led air strikes fighting in Afghanistan, accused of sheltering the main suspect in the attacks on New York and the Pentagon, and given the green light to Central Asian states to offer their bases to the U.S. military.
Vladimir Lukin, a former Russian ambassador to Washington and a senior lawmaker, told NTV television the decisions were a sign the Cold War was over.
"Now the most important problem we are facing now is Central Asia and the Northern Caucasus, and there we need to concentrate our main resources," he said.
But Lukin said Russia's gesture should be reciprocated. Moscow is pushing for debt rescheduling and Western support for its attempt to join the WTO world trade body.
"I would like to stress that there cannot be endless one-sided steps, one-sided information exchanges on sensitive questions, or one-sided gestures showing that Russia really is ready to cooperate with the U.S. and Europe on bases.
"We need bilateral decisions and these decisions should be concrete, not just smiles and encouragement, but concrete bilateral benefits," he said.
DIRE STRAITS
General Anatoly Kvashnin, chief of the general staff, said Russia would save $200 million a year by closing the Cuba base, enough for 20 spy satellite launches and 100 radar stations for the army.
Several experts told Reuters the figures were notional, as Cuba was paid for the base in barter, mainly spare parts for its dilapidated Soviet-era military machine and oil.
The Kommersant daily however said the presence of Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov (who oversees the military-industrial complex) "showed that the conversations, above all, were about money."
It described as "sensational" a complaint by Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Putin's closest political ally, that he did not have enough money to fund ambitious military reforms under which 70,000 personnel are to go this year alone.
On taking the job earlier this year he told the military it would have to learn to live within its means.
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