[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S4452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RUSSIA AS A RESPONSIBLE PARTNER

 Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, one of the myths dear to President 
Clinton's heart these days is that the government of Russia has been 
``a supportive and reliable partner in the effort to bring peace and 
stability to the Balkans.'' That myth was shattered once again earlier 
this month when a war criminal indicted by the International Criminal 
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, was hosted in Moscow--not by 
Russia's criminal underworld--but by the Kremlin itself.
  General Dragolub Ojdanic, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic 
of Yugoslavia, visited Moscow for nearly a week earlier this month--
from May 7-12, 2000. He was there as a guest of the government of the 
Russian Federation and enjoyed the privilege of attending President 
Vladimir Putin's inauguration ceremonies.
  As Slobodan Milosevic's military Chief of Staff during the Kosovo 
war, General Ojdanic was directly responsible for the Serbian 
military's ethnic cleansing campaign in Kosovo. For this, the General 
was indicted by the ICTY for crimes against humanity and violations of 
the laws and customs of war for alleged atrocities against Albanians in 
Kosovo.
  Mr. President, the ICTY has issued international warrants for General 
Ojdanic's arrest and extradition to The Hague. The Russian Federation, 
a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council which 
established the ICTY, has an obligation to arrest General Ojdanic and 
extradite him to The Hague if and when they have the opportunity.
  But what did President Putin and his regime do when Ojdanic was in 
Moscow? Instead of arresting and sending him to The Hague, they 
provided a week of fine food and camaraderie and a privileged seat at 
the Putin inauguration!
  What truly disturbs me, Mr. President, is that General Ojdanic's 
visit was not just for fun. He was there to work--to reestablish the 
links between the Milosevic regime and the Kremlin. While in Moscow, he 
held official talks with Defense Minister Sergeyev, Army Chief of Staff 
Anatoly Kvashnin, and Foreign Minister Ivanov.
  On May 16, four days after General Ojdanic's visit to Moscow, Russia 
announced that it has provided the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic 
with $102 million of a $150 million loan. The Russian government also 
announced that it will facilitate the sale to Serbia of $32 million 
worth of oil, despite the fact that the international community has 
imposed economic sanctions against the Milosevic regime.

  I confess that I am impressed by the audacity of Russian President 
Putin. Here he is, providing the Milosevic regime with over $150 
million in economic support while seeking debt relief from the 
international community and loans from the International Monetary Fund. 
He is doing this while his country seeks and receives food aid from the 
United States.
  What should we conclude from all this?
  First, President Putin seems comfortable ignoring the requirement to 
arrest and transfer indicted war criminals to The Hague. I suppose we 
can just add this to the long list of international obligations Mr. 
Putin sees fit to disregard.
  Second, Russia does not share NATO's goals and objectives in bringing 
peace and stability to the Balkans. If it did, its leaders would not be 
so brazenly and warmly supporting senior officials of the Milosevic 
regime.
  Third, the Kremlin must regard Western, and particularly, U.S. 
economic assistance and aid to be unconditional. He has evidently 
concluded that he can conduct his foreign policy with impunity and 
still count on the West's economic largesse. The fact that the 
hospitality and support provided to these Serbian war criminals occurs 
just one month before President Clinton's visit to Moscow shows how 
little respect Putin has for the policies of the United States.
  Mr. President, what concerns me most about the relationship between 
the Kremlin and the Milosevic regime is the threat it poses to our men 
and women in uniform serving in the Balkans--and those of our allies. 
The political support the Kremlin provides Slobodan Milosevic directly 
jeopardizes the safety and security of American and allied forces 
deployed in the Balkans. This outreach by Putin to the Milosevic regime 
only encourages that brutal dictator to continue his policies of 
destruction in the Balkans.
  While we are trying to force the Milosevic regime to step down and to 
turn power over to Serbia's democratic opposition, Russia is signaling 
to Milosevic that he can survive and even outlast the Alliance--and 
that Russia will help him prevail.
  It is for these reasons, that I plan to introduce an amendment to the 
foreign operations appropriations bill that will restrict material and 
economic assistance the United States provides to the Russian 
Federation. There is no reason why the United States should be 
providing Russia loan forgiveness and economic assistance when the 
Kremlin continues to support a regime in Serbia whose forces directly 
threaten our troops and those of our allies trying to bring peace to 
the Balkans.
  This amendment does four things:
  First, it reduces assistance obligated to the Russian Federation by 
an amount equal in value to the loans, financial assistance, and energy 
sales the Government of the Russian Federation has provided and intends 
to provide to the Milosevic regime.
  Second, it ensures U.S. opposition to the extension of financial 
assistance to Russia from the International Monetary Fund, the World 
Bank and other international financial institutions.
  Third, it suspends existing programs to Russia provided by the 
Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
  Fourth, it ensures the United States will oppose proposals to provide 
Russia further forgiveness, restructuring, and rescheduling of its 
international debt.
  Mr. President, I sincerely believe that a partnership with Russia is 
possible and indeed, would serve the interests of both countries. A 
strategy of engagement, however, cannot and must not ignore reality. 
Partnership cannot occur when Russia blatantly supports a regime that 
continues to threaten stability in the Balkans, whose calling cards are 
ethnic cleansing and political repression, and that continues to 
threaten U.S. soldiers in the field.
  I will be pleased to treat Russia as a responsible partner when it 
behaves as one.

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