UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 CONFIDENTIAL PT01424 RELEASE IN FULL PAGE 01 STATE 222450 240542Z ORIGIN EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-01 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 INL-01 DODE-00 DOEE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 FBIE-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 10-00 L-00 ADS-00 M-00 AC-01 DCP-01 NRRC-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00 SSD-00 SGHD-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 SSR-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 011R 222450 SOURCE KODAKA 024040 DRAFTED BY EUR RUS KSHEEHAN KSS -- 11 23 99 7-6734 APPROVED BY EUR RPM PMOON EUR RUS MYOVANOVITCH S NIS JBEYRLE NSC EPOWELL S S GLBERRY S S-O DFETTER 13507E 240543Z 38 O 240540Z NOV 99 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE CONFIDENTIALSTATE 222450 E O 12958 DECL 11 23 09 TAGS PREL NATO RS SUBJECT BILATERAL MEETINGS IN ISTANBUL GUIDANCE FOR 11 24 NAC CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 STATE 222450 240542Z CLASSIFIED BY EUR RPM DEPUTY DIRECTOR PATRICK MOON REASON 1 5 B AND D 1 C MISSION SHOULD FEEL FREE TO DRAW FROM THE FOLLOWING POINTS TO BRIEF THE NOVEMBER 24 NAC ON THE CLINTON-YELTSIN AND ALBRIGHT-IVANOV MEETINGS ON THE MARGINS OF THE OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL 2 C CLINTON-YELTSIN MEETING 11 18 -- THE MEETING WAS CORDIAL BUT BUSINESSLIKE IN TONE YELTSIN INVITED PRESIDENT CLINTON TO MOSCOW BUT THE PRESIDENT MADE NO COMMITMENT THE MAJORITY OF THE MEETING FOCUSED ON CHECHNYA CHECHNYA - YELTSIN SAID RUSSIA WAS UNDER THREAT FROM MERCILESS TERRORISTS AND PEACE WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE BY REVIEW AUTHORITY Stephen Worrel Senior Reviewer UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 ELIMINATING THE TERRORISTS RUSSIA HAS NO INTENTION OF HARMING CIVILIANS BUT THE REBELS ARE BEING SUPPORTED BY RADICAL FUNDAMENTALISTS FROM OUTSIDE THE REGION -- PRESIDENT CLINTON AGREED ON THE NEED TO COMBAT TERRORISM AND SAID THE U S WAS PREPARED TO WORK WITH RUSSIA ON CUTTING OFF RESOURCES TO TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS HOWEVER THE U S IS CONCERNED THAT RUSSIAN MILITARY TACTICS WILL UNDERMINE THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL AND LEAD TO A CYCLE OF VIOLENCE THE PRESIDENT URGED YELTSIN TO SEEK POLITICAL DIALOGUE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO A CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 STATE 222450 240542Z SOLELY MILITARY SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT ARMS CONTROL -- PRESIDENT CLINTON EXPLAINED THAT HE WILL MAKE A DECISION ABOUT NMD NEXT YEAR BASED ON SEVERAL FACTORS THREAT COST TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY EFFECT ON ARMS CONTROL AND OUR OVERALL SECURITY THE PRESIDENT REITERATED THAT NMD IS DIRECTED AT ROGUE STATES AND DOES NOT POSE A THREAT TO THE RUSSIAN DETERRENT - YELTSIN NOTED THAT HE HAD SENT THE CTBT TREATY TO THE DUMA FOR RATIFICATION PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID HE BELIEVED THE SENATE WOULD TAKE THIS UP AGAIN AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE AND WOULD RATIFY THE TREATY ELECTIONS -- PRESIDENT CLINTON TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A SMOOTH DEMOCRATIC SUCCESSION FROM ONE LEADER TO ANOTHER HE NOTED THAT ELECTIONS ARE KEY TO RUSSIA'S TRANSFORMATION AND REITERATED THE EXPECTATION THAT THEY WILL BE HELD ON SCHEDULE YELTSIN REAFFIRMED HIS COMMITMENT TO THAT SCHEDULE AND DESCRIBED THE POLITICAL PROCESS UNDERWAY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 STATE 222450 240542Z 3 C SECRETARY-IVANOV MEETING 11 17 -- SECRETARY ALBRIGHT HELD AN HOUR-LONG BILATERAL WITH FM IVANOV ON THE EVENING BEFORE THE SUMMIT OPENED AND HAD SEVERAL OTHER DISCUSSIONS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM OVER THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS CHECHNYA OSCE -- THE SECRETARY EXPRESSED HER CONCERNS ABOUT CHECHNYA OVERSHADOWING THE SUMMIT UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 -- SHE STRESSED THE NEED FOR RUSSIAN AGREEMENT ON LANGUAGE ON CHECHNYA IN THE OVERALL SUMMIT DECLARATION AS VALIDATION OF THE ROLE OF OSCE IN HELPING RESOLVE CONFLICTS WITHIN STATES -- A MAJOR THEME OF THE SUMMIT - IVANOV SAID COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIAN ENTITIES AND INTERNATIONAL RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE WORKED OUT BUT INITIALLY ARGUED THAT A ROLE FOR THE OSCE IN POLITICAL RESOLUTION OF THE CHECHNYA CONFLICT WAS PROBLEMATIC - IVANOV NOTED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1996 WHEN RUSSIA WITHDREW AND THE OSCE FILLED THE VOID AND THE CURRENT SITUATION TODAY HE ARGUED RUSSIA IS ADMINISTERING THE TERRITORY AND THE OSCE ONLY NEEDS TO FILL A HUMANITARIAN ROLE -- THROUGH HARD BARGAINING AT THE MINISTERIAL LEVEL IVANOV WAS UNLTIMATELY CONVINCED TO ACCEPT THE LANGUAGE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 05 STATE 222450 240542Z THAT APPEARD IN THE SUMMIT DECLARATION STATING THE NEED FOR A POLITICAL RESOLUTION AND OSCE'S ROLE IN PROMOTING IT -- HARD WORK LIES AHEAD WITH MOSCOW HOWEVER TO ENSURE THAT THE SUMMIT COMMITMENTS VIS-A-VIS OSCE ARE FOLLOWED BY PRACTICAL STEPS THE UPCOMING VISIT BY OSCE CIO VOLLEBAEK TO MOSCOW AND THEN TO THE NORTH CAUCASUS WILL BE A TEST OF RUSSIAN SERIOUSNESS CFE TREATY -- IN THEIR INITIAL MEETING THE SECRETARY AND IVANOV DISCUSSED THE END GAME FOR THE CFE -- THE SECRETARY STRESSED AS MUST-HAVE PRIORITIES THE NEED FOR AGREEMENTS WITH GEORGIA MOLDOVA AND A REAFFIRMATION OF PUTIN'S COMMITMENT TO RETURN TO CFE EQUIPMENT LEVELS POSTCHECHNYA - IVANOV COMMITTED RUSSIA TO A SERIOUS SEARCH FOR ACCOMMODATION WITH THE GEORGIANS AND MOLDOVANS OVER RUSSIAN BASES AND MET PERSONALLY WITH HIS GEORGIAN COUNTERPART TO OUTLINE THE FINAL DEAL -- WHEN DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY AND MOLDOVAN LEADERS FALTERED NEAR THE FINISH LINE THE SECRETARY MADE A NEAR-MIDNIGHT PHONE CALL TO IVANOV TO STRESS THE NEED FOR A FAIR DEAL NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 06 STATE 222450 240542Z UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 -- THE SECRETARY SAID SHE WAS GLAD IVANOV WOULD SEE BOTH ALIYEV AND KOCHARIAN IN ISTANBUL BOTH SIDES NEEDED TO KNOW THAT RUSSIA AND THE U S ARE READY TO MOVE FORWARD - IVANOV REITERATED RUSSIAN BACKING FOR A SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT AND SAID RUSSIA WAS READY TO SUPPORT WHATEVER THE TWO PRESIDENTS CAN SUPPORT ALBRIGHT CONFIDENTIAL ItAlt END OF DOCUMENT gt gt UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2017-11834 Doc No C06551467 Date 05 22 2018 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 Read related article Putin Clinton and Presidential Transitions 2020-11-02