09917

05/31/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09917

BUSH IN RUSSIA

In the twentieth century, conflicts in Europe led to worldwide suffering. Two world wars began there, leading to the deaths of millions of people. Now, said President George W. Bush, "Europe is growing in unity and peace."

One stop on President Bush’s trip to Europe was Russia. There, he signed a treaty to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals by two-thirds from their current levels -- the lowest level in decades. The number of deployed nuclear warheads will go from around five-thousand or six-thousand to between one-thousand-seven-hundred and two-thousand-two-hundred.

At the same time, the U.S. and Russia are working to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. This includes such means of delivery as ballistic missiles. Controlling such weapons is an essential element of the fight against international terrorism and of the efforts to deal with the states that support it.

As President Bush said, "The attacks of September 11^th made [it] clear that the new dangers of our age threaten all nations, including Russia. The months since have made [it] clear that by working together against these threats, we multiply our effectiveness."

Russia is an active partner in the global war against terrorism. In a joint statement, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S.-led coalition will continue to work to deny safe haven to terrorists and to destroy their financial, communications, and other operational networks.

Both Russia and the U.S. are committed to eliminating the terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan. Both are committed to bringing to justice terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida organization, and the Taleban.

The campaign against terrorism requires intensive law enforcement and intelligence-gathering, as well as coordinated diplomatic and economic actions. But this campaign must be conducted in an atmosphere of rule of law and respect for human rights. As President Bush said, "The partnership of America and Russia will continue to grow based on the foundation of freedom."