"OLD THINKING" ON SECURITY IN EUROPE.

Russia’s Federation Council has appealed to the parliaments of European and North American countries to help stop NATO’s enlargement. "The move of NATO’s military machine toward Russia’s borders seriously threatens Russia’s political, economic, and military security," the message said. Russia is refraining from "steps to strengthen its military security" in the hope that "common sense and the spirit of peace will prevail in Europe." The parliaments should promote "the relaxation of tensions," and not "pander to the ambitions of NATO’s leadership." (4)

The document’s content was made public yesterday by Latvia’s parliament, one of its recipients. The Federation Council, consisting mostly of appointees of President Boris Yeltsin, is the more moderate of the two houses of the Russian parliament. "Steps to strengthen Russia’s military security" is a phrase meant, and understood, to imply formation of an alliance around Russia and countermeasures with regard to countries seeking accession to NATO.

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