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US-Russia ties: Thawing ice but freezing
rain
By Sergei Blagov
MOSCOW
- The strong solidarity expressed by Russian leaders
with the US on the September 11 anniversary did not hide
areas of differences that have developed between the two
countries in the war on terror.
Russia and the
US have come closer together on several fronts in
combating terrorism, but the close ties that Russia is
developing with countries that US President George W
Bush calls the axis of evil have come as a reminder that
there are limits to the cooperation. Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov met his Iraqi counterpart Naji
Sabri September 2 and warned after the meeting that any
US action against Iraq could inflame an already volatile
Middle East.
Russia, Iraq's largest trading
partner, fears that a war could hurt its economic
interests in Iraq, which owes the Russian government
more than US$7 billion. Russian oil companies have
extensive investments in Iraq and are looking for
substantial profits in the near future. Russia and Iraq
are negotiating a ten-year trade agreement in oil,
agriculture, transportation and energy worth $40
billion.
Almost as controversial was the
announcement in July that Russia would build five
nuclear power reactors in neighboring Iran over the next
10 years. The announcement was an emphatic reinforcement
of Russian co-operation with Iran despite US pressure.
In moves toward the third of the axis of evil
countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed last
month to a visit by President Kim Jong-il of North
Korea. The visit is intended to boost the sluggish
bilateral trade between the two countries, and to
discuss North Korea's proposal to open a railway link
for South Korean goods to be transported to Europe
through Russia.
A leaked report in March that
the Pentagon's nuclear policy continues to include
Russia as a possible target provoked strong anti-US
comments in the Russian media, and came as reminder that
the Cold War is not entirely over. The US has been seen
as disregarding Russian interests in withdrawing from
the antiballistic missile treaty, in missile defenses,
in tariffs on steel and in its military penetration into
Central Asia. An opinion poll in May indicated that
two-thirds of Russians do not see the US as a friendly
nation.
Russia's independent and warm relations
with Iraq, Iran and North Korea do not, however, negate
considerable thaw in relations between Russia and the
US. A year ago Russia was quick to condemn the terrorist
attacks but reminded Western leaders that it had long
been urging them to combat the terrorist threat. In the
year since those attacks the US has visibly toned down
any criticism of Russian use of force in Chechnya.
Russia's own interest in seeing the fall of the
Taliban and in promoting relations with the US have
helped improve relations. Russia and the US signed a
treaty in May to reduce long-range nuclear weapons by
two-thirds and to "liquidate the legacy of the Cold
War". The Kremlin announced it would be shutting down
military facilities at Lourdes in Cuba and a naval base
in Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam.
On May 28 of this
year, Putin joined 19 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization) leaders at the inaugural NATO-Russian
Council summit near Rome. Recognizing Russian help in
the war on terror, the new council gave Moscow a role in
drafting and implementing several common policies on
peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, weapons proliferation,
humanitarian intervention and regional crises.
The creation of the council indicated a
transformation of NATO, which was established in 1949 to
defend the West against the Soviet threat. The Rome
meeting discussed a northern hemisphere alliance to
combat terrorism on a global scale.
The new
cooperation since September 11 last year also secured US
backing for Russia's moves to join the World Trade
Organization. Russia also obtained full membership of
the G8 (Group of Eight) most industrialized countries.
But the progress has not erased entirely
Russia's long-standing suspicion of Western intentions.
And it continues to pursue independent policies that the
US does not like.
(Inter Press Service)
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