Unofficial translation from Russian

STATEMENT BY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IGOR IVANOV

In Connection with Washington's Decision to Expel Russian Diplomats

490-22-03-2001

Washington's decision to expel a group of Russian diplomats cannot but cause regret. There are absolutely no grounds for such a step. As is known, there are well established contacts between Russian and American special services, and if someone had concerns, they could have been discussed calmly through special channels.

However Washington chose another path and this is why its step must be qualified only as political. This raises the following question: Who is behind this, who in the US is not interested today in maintaining normal and constructive Russian-American relations? We proceed from the fact that the new US president has officially stated the importance of Russian-American interaction. The Russian leadership shares this approach.

As for the intentions of those who masterminded this unfriendly action, they are not hard to figure out. These circles obviously feel ill at ease in conditions of constructive dialogue and interaction aimed at building fair and democratic international relations. It is easier for them in conditions of confrontation to convince their fellow-citizens of the need for new military programs and a withdrawal from key international disarmament agreements, which will inevitably violate strategic stability.

Trying to revive the image of enemy and Cold War morals, they also hope that it will be easier to expand NATO and dictate their will to the Alliance.

Unfortunately, all these scenarios have been taken from archives. The world public knows only too well what they are fraught with. Like before Russia will certainly defend its national interests firmly and persistently and will respond to the US unfriendly action.

At the same time, the Russian leadership hopes that the policy of those who are trying to push mankind and the US back into the era of Cold War and confrontation will not gain the upper hand in Washington.

March 22, 2001