SERGEI SHAKHRAI PROPOSES NEW VARIANTS OF RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO NATO'S EXPANSION
MOSCOW, JANUARY 6, RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT MARIANNA SHATIKHINA -

Russia should not be drawn into a new arms race in response to NATO's expansion. At a time when Russia is concentrated on the solution of its own economic problems, the European tax payers will fully bear the brunt of expenses connected with the expansion of the military bloc eastward. This point of view was expressed by Sergei Shakhrai in his conversation with RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS journalists on Monday. In his opinion, the awareness by the West Europeans of the fact that they "are paying the growth of the US influence in Europe from their own pocket" will become a powerful argument against the idea of the admittance of new members to NATO.

Simultaneously Shakhrai suggests that NATO should be warned that its expansion actually frees Russia of some of its obligations in line with the agreements on arms reduction because in the new situation they are losing any sense. In particular this may be applied to the Open Skies and the Flank Limitations agreements. In his opinion, the admittance of new members into NATO would most likely make unreal the ratification by the State Duma of the START-2 Treaty. Sergei Shakhrai deems it possible to renounce the elimination of the SS-18 missiles.

However the most effective response to NATO's expansion eastward, in the opinion of Sergei Shakhrai, could be the actual unification of Russia and Byelorussia. According to him, "the unification of the two countries meets their strategic interests, rallies society, consolidates power, and serves to raise Russia's prestige in the international arena." (ter)