YELTSIN ADDRESS TAKES MORE MODERATE TONE.

Publication: Monitor Volume: 5 Issue: 63

Russian President Boris Yeltsin, meanwhile, took a somewhat higher road in remarks on the Balkans that were included in his state of the nation address yesterday. Yeltsin repeated Moscow’s criticism of the NATO air war against Yugoslavia in his remarks–calling it a violation of international law and of common sense. But he also emphasized that Russia does not intend to intervene militarily in the conflict or to let developments in the Balkans undermine Russian-U.S. relations. “Russia has made its choice,” Yeltsin said; “it will not allow itself to be drawn into the conflict.” Yeltsin added that Moscow “is trying to avoid another global split.”

In addition to taking a relatively moderate tone on the conflict over Kosovo, Yeltsin also called anew for the Russian parliament to ratify the START II treaty and for Moscow and Washington to press ahead with additional nuclear arms reductions agreements. Yeltsin’s speech focused more on Russian domestic issues than on foreign policy concerns. In that context, it appeared to acknowledge tacitly that Moscow’s ability to play an influential role on the world stage will depend ultimately on its ability to overcome economic and political problems at home (AP, Itar-Tass, March 30).

YELTSIN’S STATE OF THE NATION SPEECH GETS TEPID REVIEWS.