ACCESSION 
NUMBER:328949

FILE ID:POL106

DATE:02/28/94

TITLE:STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (02/28/94)

TEXT:*94022806.POL

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28



(U.S.-Russia)  (270)

NEWS BRIEFING -- Spokesman Michael McCurry discussed the following topic:

U.S. PROTESTS RUSSIAN RETALIATORY EXPULSION OF U.S. DIPLOMAT

The United States has "protested in the strongest possible terms the

expulsion from Russia of a U.S. embassy officer" in apparent retaliation

for the U.S. expulsion of a Russian embassy officer, McCurry said.



He said the February 25 expulsion of the Russian from the United States "was

an entirely justified action in light of the involvement of the Russian

intelligence service in the Ames espionage case.  By contrast, the

expulsion of the U.S. diplomat from Moscow is purely an act of unjustified

retaliation."



Asked whether the U.S. government interprets reports of Russian President

Boris Yeltsin's firing of his counterintelligence chief as being related to

the Ames case, McCurry replied, "We have no interpretation of that because

we frankly don't know."



The spokesman said Nikolay Golushko had been "removed from his post by

presidential decree without explanation.  We do not know why President

Yeltsin dropped Golushko.  The only thing we know about him is that he was

appointed last September as minister of national security and then head of

counterintelligence in December when the national security ministry was

abolished."



Asked about the Russian role in the ongoing Mideast peace talks, McCurry

said they "are a valued cosponsor of the peace process, adding "I think

that they will continue to play the role that they've played" in these

talks so far "in the discussions here in Washington."



NNNN



.