[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 39 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     NO NEW RUSSIAN BASES IN LATVIA

 Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, there has been a disturbing 
development in the progress toward removing Russian troops from Latvia.
  On March 15, 1994, Russian and Latvian negotiators tentatively agreed 
on August 31, 1994, as the date for withdrawal of the estimated 12,000 
Russian troops from Latvia. According to the same agreement, the 
Russian radar station at Skrunda would continue to operate for 4 years 
with a limited number of military and civilian personnel; after this 
period, the Russian Government would have a year and a half to 
dismantle the facility. The amount of rent to be paid by Moscow for the 
Skrunda station was still under discussion, but basically the 
withdrawal framework had been set. A bilateral treaty containing the 
agreement was expect to be approved by heads of State of Russia and 
Latvia and the respective legislatures in the near future.
  However, on April 6 of this year, the Russian press published a 
directive from President Yeltsin's chancellory agreeing to a Russian 
Defense Department and Foreign Ministry proposal for creating 30 
Russian military bases on other CIS States and Latvia. I would note 
that Latvia was mentioned not once, but twice, so it cannot be claimed 
that this was an accidental misprint.
  A few hours later, Russian Foreign Minister Kozyreff and Yeltsin 
spokesperson Kostikov were saying that the Latvia reference was a 
misunderstanding, and that Russia does not intend to create a base in 
Latvia. Moreover, this directive did not go over very well in a lot of 
places. Many other CIS States rejected the basing plans on their 
territories.

  For the record, I do not believe Moscow really was planning to create 
a new base in Latvia. Just maybe, those bureaucrats in the Defense and 
Foreign Ministries were thinking of the Skrunda radar station, which 
may have to be reconfigured in terms of manning requirements, 
technology support, and so forth. But that is not very likely. The 
Russian verb in the announcement was clear: to ``create.'' Moreover, in 
the March 15 agreement with Latvia, Skrunda was specifically identified 
as a ``station'' and not a ``base.''
  Perhaps someone was trying to embarrass Foreign Minister Kozyreff, 
who happened to be meeting in Pskov, near the Russian-Latvian border, 
with the Foreign Minister of Sweden on the day the news hit the press. 
Or maybe it was just another attempt by hardline military and political 
types to fire a shot across the Latvians' bow and see what the reaction 
would be in the West.
  To its credit, the Russian Government has quickly and resolutely 
disavowed the directive, but to the best of my knowledge, it is 
technically still in force. The Latvian Government is insisting, and 
rightly so, that the entire directive be rescinded. I trust our State 
Department is making the same case to the Russian Government.
  In Latvia, there has been an outbreak of protest against the troop 
withdrawal agreement, and President Ulmanis has postponed his scheduled 
trip to Moscow to sign the agreement.
  Mr. President, the CSCE and the United Nations have called for the 
removal of foreign troops from the Baltic States. The agreement between 
Latvia and Russia was not the best, but it was certainly a move toward 
reduced tensions in the Baltics, and an opportunity for Latvia and 
Russia to address other pressing issues in their countries.
  I urge the Russian Government to officially rescind its directive on 
bases in the CIS and Latvia, and I hope that the Russian-Latvian troop 
withdrawal agreement will get back on track very quickly.

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