DATE=09/07/98
      TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
    NUMBER=6-10899
     TITLE=THE "IRRELEVANT" SUMMIT AND RUSSIA'S ONGOING CRISIS   
    
    BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
 TELEPHONE=619-3335
  DATELINE=WASHINGTON
    EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

CONTENT=

INTRO:  NOW THAT THE MOSCOW SUMMIT IS OVER, THE U-S PRESS IS 
COMMENTING ON THE MEETING, AS WELL AS RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC CRISIS. 

WE CALL ON _____________ NOW FOR A SAMPLING IN TODAY'S U-S 
OPINION ROUNDUP.  

TEXT:  AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS HAVE  NOT  BEEN KIND TO PRESIDENT BILL
CLINTON OR RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN IN RECENT DAYS.  TWO 
OF THIS COUNTRY'S LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL DAILIES, "THE 
CHICAGO TRIBUNE" AND "THE WASHINGTON POST" USED THE WORD "I R R E
L E V A N T" IN THE EDITORIALS THEY WROTE ABOUT THE MOSCOW 
SUMMIT. WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING WITH PART OF "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S
COMMENT. 

VOICE:   A COUPLE MORE SUMMITS LIKE THE ONE HE JUST FINISHED IN 
         MOSCOW AND BILL CLINTON WILL HAVE TO START DUSTING OFF 
         THOSE SPEECHES ABOUT WHY THE PRESIDENT IS RELEVANT.  
         WITH RUSSIA'S DOMESTIC ECONOMICS AND POLITICS SPINNING 
         ALMOST OUT OF CONTROL AND ORDINARY RUSSIANS LINED UP TO 
         TRY TO RETRIEVE DEVALUED MONEY FROM BANKS, [THE] MEETING
         BETWEEN THE CHIEFS OF STATE OF THE U-S AND RUSSIA SEEMED
         SUPREMELY IRRELEVANT.  [MR.] CLINTON'S STAY-THE-COURSE 
         HOMILY TO AN AUDIENCE OF STUDENTS AND YOUNG BUSINESS 
         LEADERS, ALTHOUGH SUBSTANTIVELY DEAD RIGHT, MUST HAVE 
         SEEMED A JOKE TO MUCH OF RUSSIA.  THANKS PARTLY TO THE 
         ERRATIC LEADERSHIP OF BORIS YELTSIN AND LARGELY TO THE 
         MULISH RESISTANCE OF UNRECONSTRUCTED COMMUNISTS, RUSSIA 
         HAS NEVER REALLY EXPERIENCED ECONOMIC REFORM.   ... WHAT
         RUSSIA NOW NEEDS, ONLY RUSSIANS, REALLY, CAN SUPPLY.  
         SOMEHOW, FROM SOME SOURCE, THEIR LEADERS MUST FIND THE 
         GUMPTION TO ESTABLISH A FIRM, FUNCTIONING, CREDIBLE RULE
         OF LAW.  ONLY WHEN CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND OTHER LEGAL
         INSTRUMENTS CAN BE DEPENDED UPON WILL OUTSIDE INVESTORS 
         FEEL TRULY COMFORTABLE DOING BUSINESS IN RUSSIA.

TEXT:  "THE WASHINGTON POST" PUT IT THIS WAY.

VOICE:   THE U-S AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS TRIED TO CONVEY AN 
         IMPRESSION OF BUSINESS-AS-USUAL IN THEIR MOSCOW SUMMIT 
         ..... BUT THEIR SHOW DIDN'T FOOL ANYONE.  RUSSIA HAS 
         FALLEN INTO CRISIS.  ... THERE IS  NO  WORKING 
         GOVERNMENT.  THE RUBLE HAS LOST HALF ITS VALUE IN RECENT
         DAYS, AND THE STOCK MARKET VIRTUALLY ALL ITS VALUE.  MR.
         CLINTON WAS NOT WRONG TO GO TO MOSCOW.  THE U-S-RUSSIA 
         RELATIONSHIP REMAINS CRITICAL.  THAT RUSSIA HAS REMAINED
         WITHIN ITS CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK THUS FAR IN THIS 
         CRISIS PROVIDES SOME COMFORT.  BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE 
         MISLED ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT LIE AHEAD.

TEXT:  IN AN EDITORIAL WRITTEN ON THE EVE OF THE SUMMIT, "THE ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH" SAYS THE CURRENT RUSSIAN REVOLUTION [FROM 
COMMUNISM TO CAPITALISM] IS UNRAVELING. 

VOICE:   'THIS REVOLUTION HASN'T FAILED, BUT THE ESSENTIALS 
         REMAIN TO BE ACHIEVED.'   THAT'S HOW CZECH PRESIDENT 
         VACLAV HAVEL DESCRIBED THE DISARRAY IN THE CZECH 
         REPUBLIC AND OTHER EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AFTER THE 
         HEADY SUCCESS OF THE VELVET REVOLUTION.  MR. HAVEL'S 
         OBSERVATION WOULD SEEM OVERLY OPTIMISTIC AS A 
         DESCRIPTION OF RUSSIA TODAY.  SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE 
         BREAKUP OF THE SOVIET UNION, RUSSIA NOW STANDS ON THE 
         VERGE OF A BREAKDOWN.  AFTER YEARS OF GLOWING PROMISES 
         OF PROSPERITY AND FREEDOM - -  PROMISES MADE BUT LEFT 
         UNFULFILLED  - -  RUSSIANS MAY FINALLY HAVE REACHED THE 
         TUNNEL AT THE END OF THE LIGHT. [EDITORS NOTE: THIS IS A
         PLAY ON WORDS FROM THE OFT' USED AMERICAN EXPRESSING TO 
         SUGGEST THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF A SERIOUS PROBLEM: 
         "REACHING THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL."]  NOTHING
         IN THE PAST FEW DAYS  - -  OR PAST FEW YEARS, TO BE 
         HONEST  - -  INDICATES THAT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS 
         YELTSIN, A LAME DUCKSKI OF THE FIRST ORDER, IS PREPARED 
         TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE A MODERN DEMOCRACY OR 
         FREE-MARKET ECONOMY.  HE'LL BE LUCKY IF HE CAN [STOP] 
         THE BLEEDING.

TEXT:  THE ASSESSMENTS OF THE SUMMIT WERE   N O T   ALL NEGATIVE 
HOWEVER.  IN FLORIDA, "THE ORLANDO SENTINEL" SUGGESTS THAT THERE 
WERE "GAINS IN MOSCOW."

VOICE:   TWO PRESIDENTS ... BOTH EMBATTLED ON THE DOMESTIC FRONT,
         FOUND A MEASURE OF SUCCESS THIS WEEK DEALING WITH 
         WEIGHTY INTERNATIONAL MATTERS.  CEREMONY ASIDE, THEIR 
         SUMMIT MEETING IN MOSCOW HELD KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 
         BOTH.  SOME WERE CONCRETE, SUCH AS A COMMITMENT FOR EACH
         NATION TO DISPOSE OF [MORE THAN] 45-THOUSAND KILOGRAMS 
         OF WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM AND ANOTHER TO EXPAND THE 
         SHARING OF INFORMATION ABOUT MISSILE LAUNCHES.  THOSE 
         AGREEMENTS WILL HELP ... MAKE THE WORLD SAFER.   PERHAPS
         MORE IMPORTANT, THOUGH, THE TWO PRESIDENTS HAD A GLOBAL 
         STAGE FROM WHICH TO EMPHASIZE THEIR PRINCIPAL CONCERNS. 

TEXT:  FOR THE VIEW FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S COMMUNICATIONS 
HUB, WE TURN TO "THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE," WHICH NOTED: 

VOICE:   AS SURREAL STATECRAFT, THE CLINTON TRIP TO MOSCOW WOULD 
         BE HARD TO TOP.  THE RUBLE SANK SOUTH DAY BY DAY, THE 
         COUNTRY'S FEUDING PARLIAMENT REJECTED PRESIDENT BORIS 
         YELTSIN'S NOMINEE FOR PRIME MINISTER, AND LONG LINES 
         FORMED AT BANKS WITHIN SIGH OF PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADES. 
         MEANWHILE, THE TWO LEADERS SIGNED TWO MODEST AGREEMENTS 
         ON ARMS CONTROL AND BEAR-HUGGED LIKE OLD CHUMS.  A JOINT
         PRESS CONFERENCE IN A GILDED HALL WAS NOTABLE FOR [MR.] 
         CLINTON'S WEARY BODY LANGUAGE ..... A STILTED EXERCISE 
         IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY THAT MOCKS THE IMPORTANT BUSINESS 
         THAT BROUGHT THE TWO MEN TOGETHER. 

TEXT:  IN SUNDAY'S [9/6] "NEW YORK TIMES," A PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN
HISTORY AT ENGLAND'S CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, AILEEN KELLY, WRITES A
POTENTIALLY CHILLING SCENARIO FOR THE NEAR FUTURE.

VOICE:   ... THE PRESENT CRISIS INCREASES THE POSSIBILITY THAT A 
         CHARISMATIC LEADER COULD APPEAR ON THE SCENE AND PROMISE
         TO MOLD THE HALF-BAKED IDEAS OF VARIOUS GROUPS INTO A 
         DOCTRINE OF NATIONAL SALVATION WITH MASS APPEAL.  
         WHETHER THIS WILL HAPPEN DEPENDS TO A LARGE EXTENT ON A 
         NATIONAL DEBATE OCCURRING WITHIN RUSSIA, WHERE 
         INTELLECTUALS ARE CONTINUING TO REDEFINE THEIR CULTURAL 
         AND NATIONAL IDENTITY, EXAMINING ITS STRENGTHS AND 
         WEAKNESSES IN LIGHT OF THE COMMUNIST CATASTROPHE.  ... 
         THANKS TO THEIR SPECTACULARLY INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT, 
         RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN UNDERGOING A HARSH TRAINING COURSE IN
         THE SELF-RELIANCE THAT IS THE BASIS OF POLITICAL 
         MATURITY. ... A POLITICAL MELTDOWN MAY YET BRING THE 
         RUSSIAN RIGHT TO POWER, BUT IT WILL THEN HAVE TO CONTEND
         WITH A POPULATION THAT IS BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND ITS 
         PAST WELL ENOUGH TO HAVE A FAIR CHANCE OF NOT REPEATING 
         IT.

TEXT:  ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF COMMENT ON THE 
JUST-CONCLUDED MOSCOW SUMMIT AND RUSSIA'S CONTINUING ECONOMIC 
PROBLEMS.

NEB/ANG/KL

         



07-Sep-98 2:41 PM EDT (1841 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.