Andrey Cherkasov: Robertson came, Robertson left. What for?

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson arrived in the Russian city of Volgograd on Wednesday and the same day he left together with other American officials, accompanying him in the visit. The very same day Robertson landed in Moscow.

Robertson had a short conversation with the governor of the Volgograd region, Nikolay Maksyuta, with Volgograd mayor Yury Cehkhov and then a short meeting in the assembly hall of the Volgograd Technical University, where Robertson was trying to convince the people present that it would be better, if the Russians had a better attitude to his organization. He in particular said: “ I am aware of the fact that a lot of Russian people are really concerned about the new members in NATO, but I do not understand that concern, it is based on the notions, which are out of date. The development of the true partnership relations between NATO and Russia could make our past contradictions not actual.”

It seems that “out of date notions” imply the elementary self-protection. Despite all affirmations from the NATO’s officials, the Alliance is still expanding eastwards. The NATO headquarters has recently had a meeting with the heads of the Chechen guerrillas. At the same time Robertson said the following: “We are concerned with the means, which re applied in Chechnya for establishment of law and order. Those means violate the human rights, so we are certain Russia can not do without the political regulations of the long conflict in this respect.” Robertson said that in the assembly hall of the mentioned Volgograd University. So one may assume that America is free to decide, which means it can use to establish law and order in which country, and we are not hosts in our home?!

Who could think that he is concerned with it! When the bandits were killing the Russian-speaking population in Chechnya for ten years and at that time there was no one to express a concern with that. When the Russian army interfered to improve the horrid situation, “the human rights protectors” woke up and became “concerned.” Who is going to answer this question: where is the 500 thousand non-Chechen population of the republic? Maybe It is George Robertson, who could give us the answer?

The British premier is offering to give Russia the status of NATO’s associated member. Why is that? Is it because that the war in the Middle East promises to be long and bloody? Do the Europeans want to protect themselves with the Russian weapons? Why should they wage war, if they could have Russia as a “strategic partner?” Of course, everybody will forget about the human rights in this case, this is a sure thing. The Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Ivanov thinks that “the new mechanism for cooperation with NATO is vital and Russia should have a voting right in the decision-making process within the framework of the alliance.” Nice talking! Who took this voting right away? Nobody. We kept silent, when NATO was bombing Serbia, when they were secretly supporting the Chechen terrorists, when they were sinking our submarines, when NATO had its army bases deployed very close to Russia’s borders and so long and so forth.

It would be better, if we had more of self-respect, taking account of our national interests, like they are doing it in China now.

Andrey Cherkasov PRAVDA.Ru Volgograd

AP photo: NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speak during a meeting Friday, Nov. 23, 2001