Russian Army resents 'concessions' to U.S.

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, NOV. 17. The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, faces growing opposition from the military to what is perceived as unwarranted concessions to the United States on strategic issues.

A strong commitment to bring Russia closer to the West reaffirmed by Mr. Putin during his visit to the United States last week raised suspicions among military brasshats that he is about to sacrifice Russia's strategic interests. Mr. Putin's promise last month to close down Russia's spy station in Cuba and the naval base in Vietnam is seen as a first step in that direction.

``Some information we used to gather at the Lourdes station in Cuba is impossible to procure elsewhere,'' said General Andrei Nikolayev, chairman of the Defence Committee in the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament. Gen. Nikolayev, who regards the closure of the bases as a gross mistake, said ``As for the Cam Ranh base in Vietnam, we may not need it today, but it will be indispensable to us tomorrow if we decide to have a naval presence in the region when we're strong again.''

The Russian military brass is concerned that Mr. Putin may be heading for more mistakes on strategic arms. ``It would be wrong to move on to a new arms pact with the U.S. without first enacting the START-2 treaty,'' Gen. Nikolayev said.

The 1993 START-2 treaty, which calls for halving Russian and American strategic warheads to between 3,000 and 3,500 for each side, was ratified by both countries but never came into force because the Russian Parliament linked its implementation to the continuation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which the U.S. wants to scrap.

To break the deadlock Moscow has proposed a new arms pact envisaging more radical cuts.

Gen. Nikolayev, who drafted Russia's first post-Soviet nuclear arms blueprint, insisted on a ``rigid linkage'' between strategic and tactical nukes, which Moscow has so far failed to make. He described as ``outrageous'' the fact that the U.S. still keeps its tactical warheads in Europe despite agreement between Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev and Mr. George Bush Senior to scrap them. The general-turned-MP also believes that any future nuclear arms pacts must be multilateral.

``As Russia and the U.S. pledge to cut their nuclear arsenals, all other nuclear countries, including China, India, Pakistan and Israel (which must acknowledge possessing nuclear arms) must promise not to increase theirs,'' Gen. Nikolayev said. While criticism from the active duty military is muted, retired brass are far more outspoken in their rejection of Mr. Putin's policy. In an appeal to the nation on the eve of the Putin-Bush summit ``Generals and admirals of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Russian Army'' blasted Mr. Putin's domestic and foreign policies as ``death reforms.''

``The retired brass said what the serving staff have on their mind,'' Nezavisimaya Gazeta said, noting that the signatories of the appeal included former top military commanders, closely linked to the Army General Staff. The outburst appears also to reflect acute rivalry between the Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, and Mr. Putin's appointee to the Defence Ministry, Mr. Sergei Ivanov, who is not a career army officer, but comes from the intelligence service. ``Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov is losing control over the armed forces,'' Nezavisimaya Gazeta said, as ``the military top brass steps up pressure on the Kremlin.''

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