Russia demands cooperation from GOP

August 3, 2000

Editor’s note: WND’s multi-lingual reporter Toby Westerman
specializes in monitoring global shortwave broadcasts and reading
foreign-language news journals for information not readily available
from the domestic press. Each month, Westerman presents a special
in-depth report in WorldNetDaily’s monthly magazine, WorldNet. Readers
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By I.J. Toby Westerman
© 2000, WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.

Moscow is demanding that the GOP and its presidential nominee George W. Bush demonstrate cooperation with Russia “in all spheres” in order to show sincerity in improving relations with Russia, according to official Russian sources.

Though Moscow has acknowledged the GOP’s “constructive approach” toward the Russian delegation’s presence at the GOP convention in Philadelphia, Moscow still holds that “in all probability,” Bush and the Republican Party are engaging in “an election strategy” to “look more friendly in the eyes of the world.” According to Moscow, “It’s important to have beautiful words transformed into concrete deeds … in all spheres of cooperation, from military to the most peaceful.”

Moscow’s remarks were carried by the Voice of Russia World Service, the official broadcasting service of the Russian government.

Boris Gryzlov, head of the Russian delegation to the Republican convention and an important political ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that he was “impressed by the constructive approach” taken by members of the Republican Party and the Bush campaign, according to the broadcast.

Although these “positive signals” are being “thoroughly studied in the Kremlin,” the Voice of Russia asserted that Bush was “less disposed to Moscow” at the beginning of the campaign than he is today. The Bush team, in the words of the broadcast, “has quite a few politicians who never displayed warm feelings toward Russia.”

According to the Voice of Russia, “Moscow wants to see as [U.S.] president … a person sincerely interested in the maintenance of friendly, even relations with Russia,” which includes “concrete deeds … in all spheres of cooperation.”

Republican Party members in Congress have criticized Moscow’s reported transfer of nuclear and missile technologies to nations hostile to the United States, as well as Russian support for Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic and Russian actions in Chechnya.

Moscow has responded with attacks upon the Republican Party, George W. Bush, Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Christopher Cox.

Bush has come under particular criticism from Moscow because of his stated support of a national anti-ballistic missile defense system for the United States. Moscow, on the other hand, finds the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Al Gore, “more aware of the need to stick to the policy of nuclear reductions.”

Russia remains implacably hostile to the proposed U.S. anti-ballistic missile system, although the national defense shield would have little effect in protecting against a mass Russian nuclear strike.

Moscow is holding out hope for Gore’s possible election.

“Although he is pretty far behind Mr. Bush,” said the broadcast, “it’s too early to disregard the vice president.”

While requiring cooperation “in all spheres” from any presidential candidate who wishes to be considered “sincerely interested” in better relations with Russia, Moscow continues to increase assistance to those nations the United States has deemed as “states of concern,” formerly referred to as “rogue states.”

At the time Moscow was declaring its standards for U.S. sincerity, Russia had just concluded talks with Libya on how to “develop bilateral ties in all areas.”

Libya is on the U.S. State Department’s list of “states of concern.”

According to Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Moscow is seeking to further increase ties with Libya “in trade and other economic spheres, as well as in the defense field.”