Chernomyrdin Works The Crowd

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin met with Al Gore in Washington, beginning two days of talks as the Clinton Administration prepares for Russia after Boris Yeltsin. The meeting is something of a coming out party for Chernomyrdin, who is gradually consolidating his power as the de-facto head of Russia while Boris Yeltsin struggles to regain his health. Handicapped by a low popularity rating and weak domestic political base, Chernomyrdin is trying to reinforce his position by asserting himself abroad. In an unusually revealing interview with The Washington Post, Chernomyrdin aggressively assumed the leadership mantle on Russian foreign policy, warning darkly that if NATO follows through with its eastward expansion, powerful Russian ultranationalists could push a Yeltsin (read Chernomyrdin) Administration into stepping up arms production. Although NATO is expected to be a significant subject during the next two days, the real agenda is a strengthening of Clinton Administration ties to Yeltsins apparent successor. Other issues: Russian ratification of the START II treaty, its lagging technical contributions to the joint Russian-U.S. space station and plans for a Yeltsin-Clinton presidential summit in March.