Russia opposes NATO expansion
WORLD
BRUSSELS. Belgium (AP) — Russia
stunned a NATO meeting Thursday by
protesting plans to give membership to East
European nations and hacked out of a pro
gram to improve cooperation between
Moscow and the alliance
Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev was
expected to endorse the plan approved lust
hours earlier by NATO foreign ministers
Instead, he criticized it. saving the dec ision to draw up conditions
for future NATO membership would create a new division in
Europe.
Mis comments cast a pall over the meeting and over NATO's
attempt to draw its former Warsaw Pact enemies into its alliance
However, some diplomats said they believed that he was playing to
an audience bac k in Russia, where the government is c ontending
with a strong nationalist opposition
In an effurt to overcome Russian objections to its eastward expan
sion. NATO allies had agreed to a spec lal relationship with Muse ow
and insisted they had no intention of forming a hostile bloc
"If the strategy of NATO has changed, then that is something
which requires further discussion." Kozyrev told a group of grim
faced foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Kozyrev refused to endorse a wide-ranging program of military and
politic al contac ts with Mosc ow, intending to ixise Russia's fears of an
eastward drive bv the alliance
Hr said hr read thr ministers' statement on membership and
immediately called Russian President Hon* Yollsm
This communique rai*r* mom question* than it answer*,"
Kozyrev said in impromptu remark.* that were broach ast to reporter*
U S State Department spokesman Mike McCurry said Kozyrev
gave no advanc e warning that he \santed clarification of the sched
ule for considering new NATO members next year.
"I would be tempted to xav it has to do with domestic politic s In
Russia." McCurrv said
Kozyrev's outburst only added to the alliance'* woes
There have I wen unprec eslented strains in resent weeks between
the United States and its European allies over BosniaHeriegovina
In an effort to heal the wounds, Ses retarv of State Warren Christo
pher swung liehind the European view that diplomacy, not force, is
the ties! wav to deal with the ronflic t It was a major policy switch
bv Washington under pressure from the Europeans, led by Britain
and Fram e
NATO has been anguishing in ret ent years over whether and
when to open its doors to former foes in central and eastern
Eu rope
At a summit last January. President Clinton and other allied lead
ers approved a U S initiative. Partnership for Peat e. to bring for
mer f.M.s i |(.s4T, but without memtwahlp
Twenty-three nations, including Russia, have enrolled in the pro
ject. whic h allows them to take part for the first time in military ever
rises and other alliance activities
*
Mexico’s president takes oath of office
Ml XI4.() QTY (AP) Ernesto Zedillo was sworn in as Maxi
co's president Thursdnv. vowing to spread prosperity to Music mis
untouched in free-mnrkot reforms, make peace vs ith Indian retails
and curtail his own nearly absolute powers
Even as the 42-year-old economist was taking his oath of office,
more than 10,000 people shouted slogans against him at a rally
protesting his Institutional Revolutionary Party's fi5-year rule
"Out with Zedillo!1- shouted the protesters who jammed the
plaza surrounding the Monument of the Revolution that com
memorates Mexico's bloody 1910-20 revolution. They raised (win
ners (aiding for a civil insurgency.
(Jutgoing President Carlos Salinas do Cortari handed over the
red. white and green sash of of fit e in a midday ceremony at the
Chamber of Deputies The 1,500 guests included Vice President
Al Gore and Cuba’s President Fidel Castro.
"Our most important challenge is to provide dignified living
conditions for every Mexican family," said Zedillo, whose elec
tion ( apped a year that saw the opening of Mexico's economy in
the North American Free Trade Agreement.
He promised better lives for millions of Mexicans who haven't
seen any benefit from the economic changes wrought bv Salinas,
vowing to use NAFTA "to help generate the jobs we need and raise
living standards."
The dignitaries were then taken in a caravan of gleaming black
limousines to the National Palace, trailing Zedillo's auto as it was
showered by confetti thrown from balconies
"Zedillo! Zedillo!" people shouted
We think !»• will lie ii good president’ said housewife C-armen
Valencia. 60. a ruling party supporter He i ame from below and
understands poverty
Things were different at the Monument of the Revolution.
Zedillo No! Zedillo No!' shouted the protesters hundreds of
them supporters of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, a
guerrilla forte that rebelled on Jan l in the impoverished south
ern state of (ihiapas
The crowd grew by the hour, but pole e made no move to inter
voile
Some protesters, mostly farmers in straw hats, had clubs and
machetes
Opposition leader Cuauhtemoc Cardenas. w ho came in third in
the election behind Zedillo, told the crowd they now had to
strengthen his party’s base while challenging i ontroversial elei
turns
Many Cardenas supporters believe he was cheated of the pres
iduncy in 1‘iHH, the year Salinas was el in ted, because of ruling
party vote fraud
Mexico's ruling party re< untly had to defend itself against fraud
charges in elections in southern Chiapas, Veracruz and labusio
states
Serbs reach
economic
agreement
with Croatia
KN1N, Croatia (API
Rebel Serbs approved nn
economic agreement with
Croatia's government
Thursday, hut they still
hurled artillery shells at
each other
1'he agreement calls for
resuming water and elei
trtcity supplies and riH>|a'n
ing oil pipelines and the
highway connecting Zagreb,
the (jmotian capital. and the
Yugoslav capital Belgrade
Two sections of the 220
mile highway arocontrolltxl
In Croatian Serb rvliels
It is the firsl at t ord
between the foes s»n< e they
agreed March 2‘> on a for
mal i ease fire
The self-styled Croatian
Serb assembly approved the
economic to cord late
rhursdav Croatian author
ities had already approved
the deal, which was t rafted
with the help of interna
tional negotiators
The two sides will not
meet face to fat e to sign the
deal Friday, the United
Nations said in a statement
Thu (Croats will sign it at
U N headquarters in Zagreb
in the morning while the
Serbs will sign at UN
headquarters in hum, their
capital, in the afternoon
The diplomatn moves
coincided with battlefield
action
Artillery duels < ontinued
Thursday near t ake Peru
ui. alxnit 10 miles southeast
of Kntn, saiil Paul Kisley,
a UN spokesman in
Zagreb Croatian Serbs
denied there was any seri
ous military m lion Thurs
day.
German terrorist released after 22 years
LUEBECK. Germany (API —
Irmgard Moeller, the Red Army
Faction terrorist who blew up
three American soldiers with a
car bomb 22 years ago, walked
out of prison Thursday after
being freed early from her life
sentence.
Wearing jeans, a leather ja« ket
ami red sweater, Moeller smiled,
waved and gathered up bou
quets from fans, who were
singing 1960s anti-Vietnam War
songs and chanting revolution
ary slogans outside the prison's
blue steel gates
"It still feels unreal." she seal,
her words nearly drowned out by
the crowd of 2(X), who carried red
flogs, champagne bottles and
Christmas presents.
Moeller. 47, appealed for free
dom for other "political prison
ers" and thanked her supporters
and friends for helping her cope
with years in prison
Moeller was convicted of tin
ving one of two explosives
laden t ars that blew up May 24.
lw?2. at U S. Army Headquar
ters in Heidelberg The blast
killed Capt Clyde K Bonner
and two enlisted men. Charles
L Peck and Ronald A Wood
ward
Moeller was arrested six weeks
Inter and sentenced to life in
prison plus t .r> years.
The longest serving female
prisoner in Germany, she was
freed because of her poor health,
although she has shown no
remorse and refused to cooperate
with psychiatric evaluations
A court m the state of
Schleswig Holstein, where the
prison is located, placed her on
probation for five years
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