DATE=12/20/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-S-RUSSIA POL (L)
NUMBER=2-257334
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:

INTRO:  U-S officials say Sunday's parliamentary 
elections in Russia are an indication that democracy 
is taking hold in that country a decade after 
Communist rule ended.  Correspondent Deborah Tate 
reports from the White House.

Text:  Although White House spokesman Joe Lockhart 
expressed concern about the harsh tenor of the debate 
in the days before the election - calling it a very 
rough and tumble campaign - he said monitors from the 
Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe 
found that voting took place in a free and fair 
manner.

He says the election is an indication that democracy 
is taking hold in Russia.

            /// LOCKHART ACTUALITY ///

      Taking a step back, it says something about the 
      system in Russia, where elections are becoming 
      more common, where they turnout is so strong, 
      and the democratic institutions, regardless of 
      what you think of who won and who lost, have 
      become accepted as the norm, and that is a 
      positive.

            /// END ACT ///

The voting provided a ringing endorsement of Prime 
Minister Vladimir Putin, who - although he was not on 
the ballot - now looks to be the front-runner in the 
presidential race to replace President Boris Yeltsin 
in June.

Mr. Putin has enjoyed a boost in popularity in large 
part because of the popularity of Russia's military 
campaign in the breakaway region of Chechnya.

White House spokesman Lockhart acknowledges that 
Russians may view the situation in Chechnya 
differently than much of the rest of the world.  But 
he says the international community will continue to 
voice its concerns about the way Moscow is waging the 
offensive.

            /// LOCKHART ACTUALITY ///

      The international community is united in its 
      condemnation of the tactics that are being used.  
      As the president has said repeatedly, the policy 
      is counterproductive, that it only emboldens the 
      enemies of Russia, and will not provide a 
      solution to this without an active political 
      dialogue.

            /// END ACT ///

The United States has expressed its distress about the 
civilian casualties that have resulted from Moscow's 
bloody campaign.

Russia says it has sought to limit the number of such 
casualties.  It has defended its Chechnya operation, 
saying it is necessary to root out Islamic insurgents.   
(Signed)

NEB/DAT/KL




20-Dec-1999 13:31 PM EDT (20-Dec-1999 1831 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.