Cablegate: Russian Duma Members Want Us-Russia Relations Based

VZCZCXRO9514
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHMO #0391/01 0531103
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221103Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6550
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 000391

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR T, H, EUR/RUS, VCI/SI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PARM ECON ETRD RS

SUBJECT: RUSSIAN DUMA MEMBERS WANT US-RUSSIA RELATIONS BASED
ON TRUST AND DIALOGUE

MOSCOW 00000391 001.2 OF 002

1. (SBU) Summary: At the invitation of Duma Foreign Relations
Committee Chair Konstantin Kosachev, the Ambassador met for 90
minutes with a delegation of Duma members traveling with
Kosachev to the U.S. to meet with members of Congress.
Discussion topics ranged from imports of U.S. chicken to
Afghanistan, with considerable attention focused on the recent
announcement of deployments in 2015 of SA-3 missile systems to
Romania. Kosachev, joined by other members, was extremely
critical of the announcement, questioning timing and
justifications. End Summary.

2. (SBU) Ambassador Beyrle opened the 90-minute session,
conducted in Russian but closed to the press, by giving an
overview of U.S.-Russian relations since the inauguration of
President Obama. He emphasized achievements of the Bilateral
Presidential Commission, and noted the importance of
completing a START agreement, working closely to address the
Iranian nuclear threat and instability in Afghanistan.
Kosachev (United Russia) welcomed the Ambassador's comments,
himself stressing the need for constructive results, not just
discussion, on such matters as European security, non-
proliferation, and energy markets. He supports the idea of
establishing a U.S. Congressional Caucus on Russia. Kosachev
and his delegation will meet with Rep. Howard Berman and other
members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee the week of
February 22.

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Real Confidence and Cooperation Needed
--------------------------------------

3. (SBU) Duma Deputy Leonid Slutskiy (Liberal Democratic
Party) questioned the real impact of the "reset." He argued
that comprehensive common goals have not yet been set by both
governments. He cited the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, the 1-2-3
Agreement, and the failure by U.S. poultry firms to meet
Russian sanitary requirements. He noted that the situation
with poultry products has been improving, after U.S. firms
acknowledged Russia's concerns over chlorine. Slutskiy asked
the Ambassador to study the initiative by Senators Kerry and
Levin on eliminate the Jackson-Vanik Amendment in order to
establish normal trade relations between the U.S. and Russia.
He expressed interest in meeting with Kerry and LEvin when in
Washington. He urged the U.S. Trade Representative to study
the proposal, commenting that outdated amendments adversely
affect U.S. economic interests.

4. (SBU) Deputy Andrey Klimov (United Russia) reinforced the
initiative of Russian and EU MPs to invite members of the U.S.
Congress to their joint European Parliament-Russian Duma
sessions in order to remove any suspicions that Russia is
attempting to foment discord between the U.S. and EU. He
reported that the next joint session with U.S. participation
is scheduled for December 2010.

5. (SBU) Deputy Semyon Bagdasarov (Just Russia) spoke about
Afghanistan, and the involvement of Russian companies in
support of Coalition Forces. According to Bagdasarov, Russia
is already providing a great deal of assistance to ISAF
troops. He cited the threat of terrorism and narcotic
trafficking into Russia as increasing. He argued that the war
in Afghanistan will last long time and Coalition Forces should
be more active in the northern parts of the country fighting
the producers of heroin and destroying starting points of
narco-trafficking. Both sides should work together to prevent
the emergence of new terrorist activity in Central Asia. He
argued passionately that Russia is not interested in Iran's
nuclear capabilities. He is concerned that Iran is actively
arming under the group of religious radicals and we must
prevent Iran from disintegrating by acting very carefully.

-------------------------
Missile Defense and START
-------------------------

6. (SBU) Chairman Kosachev asked the Ambassador about the
"shocking uncooperativeness and secretiveness of U.S. Missile
Defense (MD) plans in Romania and Bulgaria." He lamented
that Russian leaders, including FM Lavrov, learned of the news
from media reports. He recalled the September 2009 disclosure
information about a second Iranian nuclear facility in Qom as
a similar unilateral act that was incompatible with an overall
atmosphere of "reset" and the improvement of trust and
confidence between the U.S. and Russia. Such acts by the
U.S., he argued, threatened the gradual rapprochement of
positions on Iran, Afghanistan and especially START.

MOSCOW 00000391 002.2 OF 002

7. (SBU) Other committee members agreed with Kosachev's
concerns. Bagdasarov questioned the timing of the
announcement. Why before START is finished? He argued that
Iran does not present a threat that would be mitigated by SA-
3's (ignoring Ambassador's explanation that the deployment was
scheduled for 2015, and that we want to begin now to prepare
for a possible threat down the road.)

BEYRLE

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