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#7 - JRL 8034
US Department of State
Press Briefing With Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
Secretary Colin L. Powell
The Kremlin Residence
Moscow, Russia
January 26, 2004

FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV: Ladies and gentlemen, we have just finished the very substantive and candid discussion at the meeting between the President of the Russian Federation and the Secretary of State of the United States of America, during which we discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral Russian-American relations and international issues. And earlier today in the morning, we had also three-hour-long negotiations between each other. As to the Russian-American relations, we have a very common opinion that, thanks to intensive joint work recently, we have managed to reach substantial progress in Russian-American relations. This includes such issues…cooperation on such issues as: strategic stability, common actions to combat terrorism and to prevent weapons of mass destruction, and as we turn to bilateral (inaudible) here, I would like to point out the development of our trade economic relations and cooperation in space.

We have reviewed with the Secretary of State the implementation process of the agreements that were reached during the September summit meeting of our Presidents in Camp David last September. And we have noted with satisfaction that most of these agreements are being successfully implemented, or are in the implementation stage. So, I would like to state…we can state…with satisfaction that the Russian-American relations now rely on a solid foundation, which allows us to successfully overcome the differences that we might have in approaches to different issues.

We have also reviewed in detail the situation in the Middle East and in Iraq. We have analyzed the progress that has being made on nuclear issues, including the nuclear situation with respect to the Korean peninsula. We have also exchanged views on the situation in Georgia, including the situation in Abkhazia, and the issue of military bases there. We also discussed the situation in (Moldova), the relations between Russia and NATO ­ basically, it all means that we have covered the entire spectrum of international issues.

Given the fact that very much attention in the press is given to the situation around Russian bases in Georgia and that they have been recently many speculations to this effect, I would like to stress that both the Secretary of State and myself were yesterday in Tbilisi, where we took a part in the inauguration ceremony of the new Georgian President, Mr. Saakashvili. I met with President Saakashvili and other members of the Georgian leadership and we discussed all aspects of all issues, and all aspects of our bilateral relations, including the question of bases. The President of Georgia, Mr. Saakashvili, stressed, including in his inauguration speech, the interests of the new Georgian leadership in normalizing and maintaining normal relations with Russia. This fully meets Russia’s interests. We have always been in support of developing good neighborly, constructive relations between each other, based on respect for interests of both countries, especially in the securities field. We have agreed with the Georgian leadership that as soon as the process of the nation of the new Georgian government is completed, we will resume the activities of the working group, including the group to deal with the issue of military bases, to find solutions which will be acceptable to both sides. But it is of principal importance that this issue will be dealt with in the context of other broad issues on the agenda of our cooperation including our trade and economic ties (inaudible).

When we were discussing this issue with the Secretary of State, we took note of the declaration of the U.S. side that the United States does not have plans to deploy military bases in Georgia. And the U.S.-Georgian military cooperation has, as it’s primary objective, to help Georgia to strengthen its capability to combat international terrorism.

In conclusion, I would like to say that there were predictions earlier today in the press to the effect that there will be even a storm, a tornado, during our negotiations. In other words, there were rather gloomy forecasts of the outcome of these negotiations and I would like to disappoint the authors of such forecasts. Our negotiations were held in a very good constructive manner, which is fully in line with the overall spirit of the Russian-American relationship.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. Let me also help dispel the gloomy attitude in some parts of the press this morning. We had very good, thorough and comprehensive discussions for three plus hours with the Minister, his colleagues, and then almost two hours with President Putin. The openness, strength and comprehensive nature of these discussions reflect the solid foundation upon which U.S.-Russian relations rest. We had a major disagreement over Iraq last year as the Minister noted, but now we are working together, as is evident with the unanimous passage, with specific Russian help, of Resolution 1511, which has brought the international community back together to help the people of Iraq build a democratic nation for themselves. And I thank the Minister and the President for their support of that Resolution and of our efforts.

Mr. Ivanov has given a fairly comprehensive description of all the issues that we discussed, really nothing was left out, so I need not repeat all that. I just might say an additional word about Georgia. Since both of us were at the inauguration yesterday, we had an opportunity to speak to the new President and then we discussed it at considerable length here today. I assured the Minister and the President that the United States’ interest in Russia…in Georgia, rather…is to help Georgia build a solid democracy. We have been providing financial assistance to Georgia, we will be supporting the new President in every way we can. This is an area where Russia and the United States can cooperate with one another and not find a source for competition. Our military presence there, as the Minister noted, was to help the Georgians deal with terrorist threats that existed in Georgia. That mission will be coming to an end in the near future and then we will have normal military-to-military and political-to-political, diplomatic-to-diplomatic relations with Georgia, as we do with so many nations around the world. I was very encouraged by the Minister’s statement and the President’s statement, with respect to their relations with Georgia and their willingness to enter into discussions with Georgia on all issues, especially with the issue surrounding the presence of Russian military bases. And I thank the Minister for the flexibility that he has shown and the President, with the flexibility that he has shown on this issue.

Mr. Minister, I once again thank you for your hospitality.

Arshad.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, in your meetings this morning…in your meetings with President Putin and with Foreign Minister Ivanov…did you make the case to them directly that you made in Izvestiya this morning? Did they give any assurances that they would address your concerns on democracy, freedom of the press, rule of law, dealings with their neighbors?

Foreign Minister Ivanov, how do you regard Secretary Powell's comments in Izvestiya this morning? Do they strike you as, in any way, suggesting an effort to interfere in Russia's internal dealings?

(cross-talk)

SECRETARY POWELL: We discussed all of those areas. I discussed them with the Minister and we discussed them with the President. And it was in no way…the Minister can speak for himself…but, as far as I’m concerned, it wasn’t in any way an attempt on our part to interfere in internal dynamics of Russian political life. It was one friend speaking to another on matters that, before the world, are being talked about. And it was in the spirit of friendship that I discussed all these issues. It is the very strength of the relationship that allows us to talk about issues which people might consider controversial.

FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV: As I have already said, our negotiations are always conducted in a very candid and trusting (inaudible) atmosphere and simply not such a topic on the agenda which we would try to avoid discussing. Moreover, we are very much interested to ensure that if doubts or questions arise, the United States leadership, the United States government, always should have a clear understanding of the position of Russia’s leadership. And I think that during our talks earlier today and during the meeting between…Secretary Powell’s meeting with the Russian President that has just finished, the Secretary of State had a good opportunity to get a full and clear understanding of Russia’s position on many issues from the first hand.

As Mr. Secretary of State has said, he is going to inform the President of the United States immediately about the assessments that were given by the President of Russia on all those issues. And I do very much hope that many doubts that might have arisen with respect to some of these issues will be dispersed as a result.

QUESTION: The question is for the Secretary of State: Would you please tell us in more detail what was discussed during the negotiations, with respect to Iraq, and in particular, on the issue for the search of weapons of mass destruction in this country? Earlier, there were reports in the press that the United States was withdrawing part of its military personnel from Iraq, and exactly this part includes exactly the military personnel which were supposed to be searching for weapons of mass destruction. Does this not mean that the United States got frustrated in its attempts to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the initial doubts that such weapons do not exist in the country got materialized?

SECRETARY POWELL: We had a good discussion on Iraq. Most of the discussion centered around how to move forward: reconstruction efforts, putting in place a democratic system of government and how the international community could come together to assist the Iraqi people. We also talked about debt reduction of Iraqi debt. And so, it was a forward-looking conversation. Frankly, we did not get into weapons of mass destruction.

It is my understanding, with respect to the American personnel who were working on the program in Iraq, some of them were shifted to other programs when their part of the work was finished. Our intelligence assessment last year is an assessment that was also held by the previous administration and by a number of intelligence agencies throughout the world, was that Saddam Hussein had the intention of having weapons of mass destruction, had weapons of mass destruction programs, had weapons which he had used in the past, and we believe he had every possibility of having such weapons in the present. And it was a danger that the world should not be facing after 12 years of UN resolutions telling him to get rid of such weapons. The work of the inspectors, the U.S. inspectors, working with our military forces, continues. And we have a new head of that effort, Mr. Duelfer. I’m looking forward to him getting in the region, continuing the work and then making a final report.

QUESTION: A question for Mr. Ivanov, also about weapons of mass destruction. Has the failure to find weapons damaged the credibility of the United States or it’s intelligence agencies, in your eyes or in the eyes of the world, in your estimation? And secondly, has it complicated or made more difficult in the efforts on non-proliferation and nuclear weapons with Iran and North Korea? And, Secretary Powell, if you care to comment (inaudible).

FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV: First of all, I would like to stress that both Russia and the United States have a strong interest in putting a reliable barrier in the way of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This is our common position. As to Iraq, both our countries and the entire international community are certainly interested in obtaining a clear answer to the simple question whether there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq or not. In this light, this question so far cannot be considered as closed. Work should be continued, both by the inspectors in the country in Iraq and by the appropriate United Nations. This question is not related, has nothing to do with the issue of credibility or lack of credibility to the United States, but to the need to get an answer to a very important question for the international community. As to our cooperation with the United States on the issue of combating terrorism or on the issue of proliferation, we are open and we are ready for as close cooperation between our countries as (inaudible) possible. And the (inaudible) agenda of this cooperation includes all issues, including situation on the Korean peninsula and other important issues, simply because it’s our common strong interest to ensure that we live in a safe world.

SECRETARY: I would only comment on the last point the Minister made about how important it is for us to cooperate as closely as possible on our counterterrorism and counter-proliferation efforts.

(cross-talk)

QUESTION: The question by Al-Jazeera channel for the Secretary of State. Mr. Secretary of State: you have said that the United States is not interested in deploying military bases in Georgia.

(cross-talk)

Is this your final decision or are any changes possible in case of certain developments in Georgia?

SECRETARY POWELL: We have no plans to place bases in Georgia. We plan to have good relations with the new Georgian leadership. That’s why I represented my country there yesterday. We expect to have normal military-to-military relations with them, just as we have with all other countries. But the United States is not looking to go around the world building bases. I don’t see a need for a base and I don’t think there is any question about the nature of my answer, or confidence that I have in my answer. This is the position of the United States government.