I- ' - ' v_ ' L_ -- j ' -- -- ' SECRET 0995 THE WHITE HOUSE WAS HIN GTO N MEM0R7 NDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION SUBJECT Telephone Conversation with Russian President Yeltsin Chechnya START II PTU TICIPTUITS The President President Boris Yeltsin Interpreter Notetaker Hello Boris President Yeltsin U Hello Bill U The President It's nice to hear your voice taking my call U President Yeltsin we spoke U The President talk now U 3 iyioi8 KBH February 13 1995 1 03-1 25 p m Oval Office DATE TIME AND PLACE The President Dimitry Zarechnak Steve Pifer DECLASSIFIED PER E 0 13526 Thank you- Bill It's been too long President Yeltsin Good Thank you for It's been some time since I'm glad we have a chance to U The President Helmut Kohl and I had a good discussion last week We discussed the difficulties and challenges you face in Chechnya Whenever I've been asked I -have said we consider Chechnya a part of Russia and that you are dealing with it as best you could President Yeltsin I know Bill what you have been saying about the situation in Chechnya I appreciate your objectivity The President Both Kohl and I have tried to be supportive and remind people that you stand for democracy in Russia and are the best hope of that i 6 But we are concerned that the heavy military fighting is doing heavy damage to Russia's international image and aiding your critics at home and abroad You can see that in the calls by some in our new Congress to reduce or even stop assistance to -gGBPCGBPEX Declassify on OADR V -JJ -SCCR JPYRussia and in the signal the European Union sent when it raised questions about implementing its interim agreement with you Of course the surest way to counter those critics is to settle the crisis peacefully 1 have seen the OSCE report outlining a series of steps to address humanitarian aspects of the Chechnya conflict that came out last week I want to commend you for granting the OSCE access to Chechnya I hope you will agree to their recommenda- tions The first step is a humanitarian cease-fire this would be a good first step toward a political resolution It concerns me that the fighting in Chechnya has also led many in the West to question your government's commitment to reform I don't support that view I think your commitment is strong and clear and have made clear that the U S will continue to support reform in Russia and your efforts toward that end But Chechnya is having an impact on opinion here and in Europe The decision on your new privatization official sent a good signal of your real intentions And I want to urge you to take every opportunity to signal your commitment to democracy open government and economic reform Boris I would like to say one more thing I apologize for this long monologue but I know you will address the Duma thiS' week The whole world is waiting to hear your-speech It is a terribly important opportunity for you to describe the complex Chechnya dilemma for your people including the Chechens in a way that opens the door for a political settlement XJ It is also an opportunity to remind the world of why you are the best hope for continued reform in Russia I want everyone to see you as the person who stood on the tank and stood up for freedom I don't like some of the things that are now being said As a friend I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity of this speech These are terribly difficult times for Russia I think this speech is a great opportunity for you and I hope that you will seize it X President Yeltsin Thanks again for your position and for the political and moral support that I am getting from you Helmut and several other leaders It is very encouraging and helps create the appropriate political situation in Russia It helps get people on our side in support of the President in support of our position on Chechnya X ogCCRgf L - W -gaCRETBut those people who are suggesting sanctions against Russia let them not forget that Russia is not Yugoslavia This is not something that can be used to scare us Chechnya is an internal republic of Russia It is part of the Russian Federation according to the constitution of the Russian Federation We are dealing with an open rebellion Under the constitution we have the right to use force just as you do if you have a rebellion on your hands in one of your states CBj Of course we are concerned about the reaction of world public opinion We do not want to be presented as people who are backtracking on reform or coming out in favor of dictatorship We are for reform and this is something I will state very clearly in my address before the Parliament I can also tell you that I have talked to Helmut on the phone every week We use this as an opportunity to synchronize our watches I have started talks and worked to put an end to the open fighting We have only police forces remaining in Chechnya to combat bandits who fire on our people The police forces are there to stand up to those bandits We have recognized the provisional government until the time of elections which are scheduled for this year We are trying to restore trade services supply food and clothing and restore housing All of this comes from federal funds 2 Chechnya was a part of Russia and will remain a part of Russia It used to be a dictatorship within Russia but will become a democratic part of the Russian Federation I can assure you 81 As for the reform process we are forging ahead In Davos Switzerland Chubays mentioned many things that we''re doing to push through reform-here So Bill thanks for your expression of concern You may rest assured that 1 am firmly on my feet pursuing democracy and reform I have been in contact with the Chechen elders and municipal officials to ensure a good peaceful settlement The President Thank you I think it is important if you can in your speech express support for OSCE and some note of regret about what has happened in Chechnya What is frightening the world is the large-scale human suffering resulting from the military action It's important to show the world that you are attempting to restore democracy and want to do it in the least disruptive terms President Yeltsin I think without fail that I will take advantage of your advice U SECRgfL ' SECRET The President Another quick word on an important issue I am working to win approval of the START II Treaty by our Senate to fulfill the commitment we made last September to exchange instruments of ratification at our next summit I am optimistic that the Senate will ratify the Treaty by April If there is anything I can do to increase support for START II in Russia let me know I think that we will pass START II here in the springtime President Yeltsin That would be a very good thing if we can have an exchange of instruments of ratification at our next summit For my part I'll try to do my best to have it resolved on my side as well Could I mention the fact that your side plans to have STTiRT II ratified by this spring The President Yes you can certainly say that we've talked that I'm pressing for ratification in the spring and that I'm optimistic about its chances in the spring President Yeltsin Very good This reference will help us speed up our process of ratification The President That's great President Yeltsin accord X The President The President U Then we can start working on a START III I can't wait President Yeltsin meeting U Well good luck Same here U I look forward to our next Me too my friend Good-bye U President Yeltsin From me best regards to Hillary and all my friends Thank you for your support and the call U The President Thanks and tell Naina hello our next meeting U President Yeltsin The President Thank you Good-bye See you next time U End of Conversation ecreJPY- Good-bye U Until This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu