American congressmen Tom Lantos (left) and Henry Hyde (second right) and Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee during the first joint session of the Duma's International Affairs Committee and the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
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A Meeting behind Partly Closed Doors
// The Duma hears American congressmen
International Ties
A joint session of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee and the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives was held yesterday in Moscow. Kommersant correspondent Nargiz Asadova followed the discussion of the Russian and American legislators.
The session was opened by Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee. He said that Russia and the United States are doomed to cooperate, despite the fact that our relations are not always unclouded. Kosachev urged his American colleagues to promote the development of bilateral economic ties, intensify the dialog on developing a civil society, and strengthen interparliamentary ties. Before turning the floor over to his American colleagues, Kosachev rebuked them, saying the congressmen had not worked very hard to send replies on time to the proposals and questions the deputies had sent to the U.S. congress in advance.
Finally, Henry Hyde, the head of the American delegation and chairman of the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, was given the floor. He was an elderly man in a wheelchair. “We are friends; however, there are still differences between our countries. As before, we see various problems that could lead to misunderstanding or even confrontation,” Hyde began. “One of these misunderstandings in relations between our countries is the viewpoint existing in Russia that the United States supposedly has a strategy to weaken and isolate Russia, and that our policy in Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic countries, and other countries is aimed at accomplishing these objectives. I want to say categorically that this is neither my policy nor the policy of any member of Congress, on whose behalf I'm prepared to speak. Such a policy would be destructive for the interests of the United States itself. It is doomed to failure.”
After the agenda and rules were approved, journalists were asked to leave. The session continued, figuratively speaking, behind closed doors. Figuratively, because in fact one of the doors was open. So, you could hear the deputies' individual remarks. Unfortunately, you couldn't see their faces. But it was clear that the legislators were well prepared for this meeting and met the Americans fully armed.
“As far as the United States' demand for the immediate removal of Russian bases from Georgia are concerned,” a deputy said indignantly, “ I'd like to remind you that U.S. forces are also in Cuba against the wishes of the government of that country.” “The Bush Administration advocates general democratization of the Middle East,” came another voice. “However, according to our information, 95 percent of the population of the region is against it. George Bush recently expressed confidence that Fatah [the autonomy's governing party] will win the parliamentary elections in Palestine and not Hamas [an extremist movement that won in municipal elections this year]. The Palestinians took the U.S. president's statement as permission for Mahmoud Abbas [the head of the Palestinian autonomy] like any interference in the elections. This policy could lead to a crisis in the Middle East.”
At the end of the first part of the sentence, the Americans were invited to lunch in the Gzhel room, a special room for visitors located on the first floor of the State Duma building. Journalists had the opportunity to talk with the members of the American delegation. “What do you think of the initiatives of Congressman Tom Lantos and his Democratic colleague to exclude Russia from the G8, “ the Kommersant correspondent asked Hyde. “I don't share Mr. Lantos' point of view,” Hyde answered. Looking sympathetically at his wheelchair, another journalist wanted to know how he rated conditions for the disabled in the Duma building. He knew the Duma didn't take care of this – there were neither stairs nor toilets for the disabled. Being happily ignorant of this, the congressman cheerfully answered “I don't know yet, I'm just about to use one of them.” However, one of the deputies hurried to reassure the journalists that two members of the American delegation – Mordechai Mikhail Dettor and Ariel Klein – would help Mr. Hyde with his difficulties.
After lunch, the deputies and congressmen continued their discussion of international problems. A press conference was held afterwards. The deputies happily explained to the journalists that they had managed to sign a document during the meeting – a joint statement On Counteracting International Terrorism and Illegal Drug Sales. The document stressed the key role of interparliamentary contacts in relations between the Russian Federation and the United States, including a strengthening of cooperation in counteracting the global threat posed by illegal trafficking in narcotics.
Nargiz Asadova
All the Article in Russian as of June 02, 2005
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