[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 20, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65505-65507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31091]



      
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  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 1995 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 65505]]

                Presidential Determination No. 96-6 of December 6, 1995

                
Assistance Program for New Independent States of 
                the Former Soviet Union

                Memorandum for the Secretary of State

                Pursuant to Section 577 of the Foreign Operations, 
                Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations 
                Act, 1994 (Titles I-V of Public Law 103-87), I hereby 
                certify that Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent 
                States continue to make substantial progress toward the 
                withdrawal of their armed forces from Latvia and 
                Estonia.

                You are authorized and directed to notify the Congress 
                of this certification and to publish it in the Federal 
                Register.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, December 6, 1995.

                MEMORANDUM OF JUSTIFICATION REGARDING CERTIFICATION 
                UNDER SECTION 577 OF THE FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT 
                FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                1994 (TITLES I-V OF PUBLIC LAW 103-87)

                There continues to be active and substantial progress 
                on the issue of Russian and CIS troop withdrawal from 
                the Baltics since the President's previous 
                determination under Section 577 ``of substantial 
                progress'' on June 6, 1995.

                Since the last determination, the troop withdrawal 
                agreement between the Russian Federation and Estonia 
                was ratified by the Russian State Duma on July 21, 
                1995, and endorsed by the Federation Council on October 
                4. Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the federal 
                law on ratification of the treaty on October 13. The 
                agreement awaits ratification by the Estonian 
                legislature. As noted previously, the troop withdrawal 
                agreement between the Russian Federation and Latvia has 
                been ratified by both countries, the documents of 
                ratification having been exchanged on February 27, 
                1995.

                By its terms, Section 577 remains in force until the 
                President certifies to the Congress under Section 
                577(b) that all Russian and CIS armed forces have been 
                withdrawn from Latvia and Estonia, or that the status 
                of those armed forces has been otherwise resolved by 
                mutual agreement of the parties. The Section 577(b) 
                certification is not being made at this time, pending 
                ratification by Estonia of the agreement between the 
                Russian Federation and Estonia.

                The residual issues remaining between Russia and Latvia 
                and Russia and Estonia relating to troop withdrawals 
                continue to be primarily political and social rather 
                than military. In particular, there continues to be the 
                question of Russian/CIS military personnel demobilized 
                in place before August 31, 1994, when all active duty 
                military personnel and equipment were 

[[Page 65506]]
                withdrawn from Estonia and Latvia according to agreement. As noted 
                previously, the lack of precise data for determining 
                the number of troops demobilized in place, combined 
                with certain ambiguities in the agreements, contribute 
                to the difficulty of resolving these residual issues. 
                Humanitarian concerns continue to constitute another 
                factor. Since the June 6, 1995 determination, the 
                parties have actively worked on both bilateral and 
                multilateral levels to resolve these residual issues. 
                In particular, they have used the OSCE Permanent 
                Council and OSCE missions as fora for raising, and 
                working through, their differences.

                Latvia and Russia continue to review lists of 
                demobilized officers in an orderly manner to clarify 
                the status of these individuals. In September 1995, 
                Russia submitted updated lists totaling 1238 former 
                Russian military personnel whose status is still 
                unresolved. The Latvians have told the OSCE Mission to 
                Latvia that they believe another 163, outside these 
                lists, reside in Latvia illegally. Of the 1238 on the 
                Russian lists, Russia has committed to repatriating 401 
                by the end of 1995. In addition, since the last 
                determination, the Russians have recognized the need 
                for individual case-by-case review of a second major 
                category of the 1238, comprised of 771 cases. The 
                Russians have redesignated the category ``those 
                claiming to have the right to stay,'' rather than those 
                ``having the right to stay.'' In noting the progress 
                the two sides have made in resolving the issue of 
                demobilized officers, the OSCE Mission has also 
                commended the political will shown by the Latvian 
                Government in agreeing to investigate each claim to 
                stay with appropriate care. Latvian President Ulmanis 
                stated in September that, despite their serious foreign 
                policy disagreements, Latvia and Russia are continuing 
                to develop good-neighborly bilateral relations.

                The bilateral dialogue between Russia and Estonia has 
                broadened and deepened since the last determination. On 
                October 11, Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev and 
                Estonian Foreign Minister Riivo Sinijarv met in 
                Helsinki to discuss, among other issues, the Estonian 
                ratification process for the July 1994 agreements on 
                troop withdrawal and Russian military pensioners. 
                Sinijarv termed the meeting ``very constructive and 
                relaxed,'' and noted that despite difficulties, the two 
                countries had achieved certain progress in the 
                normalization of Estonian-Russian relations. In 
                November, a group of Russian State Duma members visited 
                the Estonian capital of Tallinn and discussed with 
                their counterparts the schedule for ratification by 
                Estonia of the bilateral agreements signed in July 
                1994. In mid-November during UNESCO's 50th anniversary 
                celebrations in Paris, Estonian President Lennart Meri 
                noted that ``relations between Russia and Estonia have 
                already passed their most difficult stage.'' He 
                highlighted the progress made on the border talks as an 
                example of this new phase in relations and stated that 
                he viewed future relations with Russia with 
                ``optimism.''

                The decommissioning of the Paldiski facility in Estonia 
                has also been cited by both sides as a major bilateral 
                success. In his 50th UNGA address, Foreign Minister 
                Sinijarv noted that on September 26 ``the final remnant 
                of occupation, in the form of the former Soviet nuclear 
                submarine training facility at Paldiski, will be turned 
                over to Estonian authorities by civilian Russian 
                dismantling specialists. I take this opportunity to 
                acknowledge Estonia's satisfaction with the Russian 
                Federation's having fulfilled its commitments in this 
                regard, as mandated by the agreement signed by Russia 
                and Estonia on 30 July 1994.''

                Russia and Estonia continue to use the OSCE Permanent 
                Council mechanism to raise issues of dispute. The 
                Russians, for example, chose to use the October 12 
                meeting of the Permanent Council to express concern 
                over a decision by the Estonian Parliament to remove 
                from the week's agenda ratification of the bilateral 
                Russian-Estonian agreement on military pensioners. 
                Estonia replied that the Estonian government had 
                resigned on October 11 and that this issue took 
                precedence over ratification of the bilateral 
                agreement. Since the October 12 OSCE meeting, the 
                Estonian Parliament has been reviewing the package of 
                troop withdrawal agreements for ratifica

[[Page 65507]]
                tion as a high priority agenda item. On November 29, the package of 
                agreements passed the first of three required readings 
                in the Estonian Parliament. The OSCE has also appointed 
                a representative to the Commission dealing with the 
                granting of residence permits for Russian military 
                pensioners desiring to stay in Estonia. Applications 
                are being submitted and processed on a case-by-case 
                basis under this program.

                In U.S. discussions with Russian, Latvian, and Estonian 
                officials, the residual troop withdrawal issue no 
                longer receives the priority it once did as an 
                outstanding problem between Russia and Latvia and 
                Russia and Estonia. Further, local press commentators 
                in the leadup to the September 30-October 1 elections 
                in Latvia pointed out that normality had come at last 
                to Latvia. Troop withdrawal concerns had ceased to be a 
                key issue for the populace; integration into European 
                institutions as well as bread and butter issues had 
                taken on greater importance.

                Russia and Latvia and Russia and Estonia continue to 
                recognize the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in 
                resolving the residual issues relating to troop 
                withdrawals. They continue to look for practical ways, 
                including through international mechanisms, to solve 
                their differences and have moved significantly towards 
                normal bilateral relations. In a November 7 speech to 
                the opening session of the sixth Saeima in Riga, 
                Latvian President Ulmanis eloquently defined the 
                challenge and the goal facing the parties: ``To find a 
                fruitful balance for this mutual tension of political 
                factors is both a task and a challenge to the creative 
                and diplomatic abilities of our politicians.''

[FR Doc. 95-31091
Filed 12-18-95; 2:06 pm]
Billing code 4710-10-M