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Transcripts of interview with US Ambassador Alexander Vershbow

Introduction by RBC General Director Yury Rovensky

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, RosBusinessConsulting is starting an Internet press conference of the U.S. ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow. We are apologizing for not the most convenient time for the Internet broadcasting. But this is related to a very tight schedule, which in many ways is a result of the situation we are currently dealing with. Today, we will talk about the joint effort of the United States and Russia to combat terrorism, about its first results, and the geopolitical changes that followed the September terrorist acts in the United States. Time proved that the initial reaction of Russia to this tragedy is not just a natural emotion under the circumstances. This is a position that finds proof in specific deeds. Clearly, the efforts of a single country, even that of the United States, are not enough to solve the problem of international terrorism. So it is very important that the anti-terrorist operation was supported by Russia, China, and other countries that are not allies of the United States or NATO. Firstly, Russia can truly contribute to the success of the operation -through the support of the North Alliance, through securing stability in the Tadjikistan. And secondly, now it is possible to talk about the consolidation of Russia and the United States, about the rapprochement that, most likely, is long-term in nature. At least that is the conclusion one can make based on the result of the meeting in Shanghai. Of course, the differences of Russian and American sides about a number of issues are well known. And even under the pressure of such a significant factor as the consolidation in the fight against terrorism, they cannot disappear immediately. However, there is clearly a tendency to aligning the positions. And not I would like to invite plenipotentiary U.S. ambassador to Russia, Mr. Vershbow. This is the first press conference after your appointment. The floor is yours.

Statement by U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow:

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were an attack on all civilized countries and led to an unprecedented coalition of civilized nations against this evil scourge of terrorism. And the terrorist acts have also led to unprecedented cooperation between the United States and Russia, which really does create the potential for an alliance between our nations for the first time since World War II. We have three main goals in this terrorist campaign. The first is to punish those responsible for the atrocities of Sept. 11. The second is to destroy the Al-Qaeda network. And the third is to ensure that Afghanistan will no longer be a haven for terrorists. Current military operations are part of that long-term campaign to eradicate global terrorism. But we won't succeed without the contributions of all nations and Russia is a key partner in this effort. And my last point before taking questions is to underscore this is not a war against Islam it is a war against terror, which is a threat to the Islamic world as much as it is again us all. I think the proof of that is that the U.S., even before Sept. 11, was the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and we are continuing to expand this effort. This shows that we are not at war with the people of Afghanistan but against Osama bin Laden and the people who support terrorism.

Question: In your opinion when do you think the U.S. will be able to capture or destroy Mr. Bin Laden.

AMB. VERSHBOW: It's difficult to make any predictions because it's proving to be difficult to find Mr. Bin Laden. But our first priority is to bring down the Taliban regime, which is giving him haven. And we've made progress in destroying his infrastructure and camps within Afghanistan. But, as Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said yesterday: it's like looking for a needle in a haystack to find him in Afghanistan. But I'm very hopeful, that as hard as it is, we will succeed in finding him.

Question: Does the U.S. want to use heavier equipment in the campaign in Afghanistan.

AMB. VERSHBOW: I'm probably not the right person to address military operation questions. I think we're already bringing to bear a wide range of military equipment, including our most technically advanced equipment. Some of those have even done massive damage to facilities buried deep underground. The next phase of the conflict may well see a combination of bombing with Special Forces operations as indicated by President Bush.

Question: Can you say anything about the introduction of ground forces into Afghanistan? continued:

AMB. VERSHBOW: I really can't go beyond what my leaders have indicated, that is, that the bombing campaign is preparing the ground for possible ground-force operations. I'm not going to speculate on the nature of those operations.

Question: If the U.S. is successful in destroying bin Laden then it might lead to a desire for revenge on the part of Islamic supports of bin Laden. Do you think that terror might lead people to reassess what the U.S. has done.

AMB. VERSHBOW: Certainly, the destruction of Al-Qaeda and bin Laden is not going to be the end of the war against terrorism. There are other groups and there are other individuals who might continue to carry out terrorist attacks based on similar distorted ideology. In that respect, I would agree with President Putin, who said in Shanghai that the war against terrorism must be carried out to the end. But it will certainly require continuing efforts to convince people in the Islamic world that we're fighting for their interests and not against their interests. Clearly millions of young citizens of Islamic countries have been deceived by the messages of bin Laden and other terrorists. And even some of the governments have been too tolerant of radicalism within their borders. But I believe we will prevail in the end because we have virtually all of the Islamic countries within our coalition. But it won't be a simple task to deal with the problem.

Question: Can't the U.S. solve the whole problem of terrorism by itself?

AMB. VERSHBOW: The answer is, 'No.' We need the support of as many countries that are willing to give us support. The war against terrorism is not just a military struggle. A critical element of the struggle is to shut down the financial flows of resources that support and sustain terrorist networks. And to control the flow of money we need the participation of virtually every nation in the world. The same applies to the need to bring the law-enforcement agencies and customs services of all nations together to block the movement of terrorists themselves and the weapons they will try to use.

Question: Has your position changed about the Chechen fighters and the Albanian fighters. That maybe you shouldn't be supporting the Albanian fighters, and have you change your opinion about how you ought to be disposed toward the Chechen fighters.

AMB. VERSHBOW: We have always taken a very firm stance against extremists wherever they occur. But I think that the context of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia has to be understood within its historic context. The Albanians were the victims of extremist policies and violence carried out by the Milosevic regime. So we have no regrets that we helped defend the rights of the Albanian people of Kosovo against Milosevic. But when Albanian extremists sought to use violence against the democratic government of Macedonia, we took another view. At least so far, we have succeeded in preventing efforts to use violence to break up the Macedonian state. As for Chechnya, we do not support anyone who tries to use violence for political purposes. That includes any effort to breakup the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. We also are firmly opposed to the efforts of foreign terror networks, including bin Laden's, to exacerbate the situation. All this being said, we believe that a purely military approach on the part of Russia is not going to lead to a solution in Chechnya. In that sense, we are very pleased that President Putin's statement of Sept. 24 is having some positive results in the establishment of dialog between the government and the Chechens. A political settlement in Chechnya would be in America's interest because we need Russia as a capable partner in the global war against terrorism.

Question: After the events of Sept. 11, the Russian special services began to give information to the U.S. special services. Have there been any instructions for the U.S. services to give information to the Russian intelligence.

AMB. VERSHBOW: Yes. The flow of intelligence information is going in both directions. I think it has been mutual beneficial. Each of us may have our own sources of information and combining our efforts is very valuable to the success of the campaign against terrorism. I think this is unprecedented form of U.S.-Russian cooperation that will set a positive precedent for future cooperation.

Question: Do you feel economic cooperation is adequately developing and that there is active cooperation between Russian and American business people.

AMB. VERSHBOW: I'm very encouraged by the trends in our economic and commercial relationships. The reforms, including the legislation passed by the Duma in the past year and a half has created much greater confidence on the part of American businesses that they can operate successfully in the Russian market. This was confirmed by the response by the business executives who accompanied Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans on his trade mission a week ago. Russia's efforts to join the World Trade Organization will also further advance this effort. But the key will be for Russia, of course, to consolidate the rule of law and the other fundamentals needed for business to have confidence that there will be a predictable environment for the long term.

Question: Is the U.S. government planning to continue the program whereby Russian businessmen can come to the U.S for internships.

AMB. VERSHBOW: Absolutely, these have been very successful programs and we plan to continue them. It may sound ironic coming from a civil servant, but the future of Russia lies in the development of a strong generation of private entrepreneurs. So we're very proud to help in creating a generation of entrepreneurs. But I think the great sign of progress is that a great number of these entrepreneurs are springing up spontaneously all over Russia. That makes me very optimistic about the future of Russian and our relations.