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U.S. Ambassador Speaks of Future Relations with Russia
New U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle, arrived in Moscow in early July. A war in Georgia started exactly in a month. In his first interview to Russia’s media, Mr Beyrle spoke of the U.S.-Russia’s relations after that war.
Asked about the reasons that Washington gives for the conflict in Georgia, Mr Beyrle emphasized that they had been always reiterating that the conflict couldn’t be resolved by force, persuading Georgia not to apply it till the very last moment. Nowadays, we are urging Russia to respect the ceasefire agreement and pull out of Georgia, the ambassador said.
Moscow has gone too far, Mr Beyrle concluded, referring to the calls of some Russia’s policymakers to replace the democratic government of Georgia as well as to their statements that question territorial integrity of that country.
The ambassador avoided direct answer to the question about Washington’s idea of Russia’s adequate response to Georgia. Mr Beyrle just said that executing the peace plan brokered by France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is vital today, and that the sooner the Russians withdraw to positions taken before the conflict broke out, the earlier they would be able to move international observers and, then perhaps, the international peacekeepers there.
In addition to moving international peacekeepers to the conflict area, another milestone is the change of status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. According to Mr Beyrle, the process should start by recognizing territorial integrity of Georgia within its international borders. Although the decision should take into account the right for national self-determination, the fact to proceed from is that territorial integrity of Georgia has been recognized by the international laws.
The ambassador’s remarks about Russia’s chances to join the WTO are also interesting. The United States is for Russia’s membership in that organization. The advance of economic relations of Russia and the United States is very dynamic and they could be viewed as a sort of lighting rod when Moscow and Washington clash politically. But the U.S. investors are very apprehensive, Beyrle said. The ambassador also pointed out that the United States doesn’t want the worldwide isolation of Russia. Those periods have happened in history, and they have never ended well for the world.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 22, 2008
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