(4 of 13)
A. I'm glad you asked, because I think the answer will be of interest not just to the readers of TIME but to the Soviet people as well. I have been personally criticized for being too soft or too democratic. I don't know if it's possible to be too democratic, but that's what is sometimes said. And I'm also criticized for being indecisive. Some people are nostalgic for the past. I think we should move along the path we have chosen, which is the path of developing and expanding the processes of democratization and glasnost. We are committed to that. We'll be guided on that path by the rule of law. That means there should be one law for everyone; everyone should be equal before the law. Nor should we yield to pressure from those who would like us to tighten the - screws, as they put it. Of course we'll find some screws loose, and they will have to be tightened. But repression, witch-hunts, the search for enemies -- all that is unacceptable. It's not what we want, and it's not what our people want.
What I have to do is use my personal authority and my political powers as President to speed up our progress toward becoming a state fully governed by the rule of law. That won't be easy. In these politically charged times and in this turbulent society, overburdened as it is with all kinds of problems, some people are trying to fuel the flames and light the fuses. There's no question that these extremists exist. We should not ignore their activities. It's because of them that we've had bloodshed in some parts of our country, particularly in the form of ethnic conflict.
We should take advantage of the chance we have to bring about real change and to build a democratic country based on the rule of law, a real civil society.
Q. We must ask you about the Baltics, secession and nationalism.
A. As far as separatism is concerned, I've already answered. As for my view on the development of our federation, I'm speaking about the Baltics almost every day. We're seeking a political solution, and we're doing so precisely at this moment. As President, I took an oath of office to uphold the constitution. Certain anticonstitutional developments are taking place. They began just as we started our Congress of People's Deputies. The congress considered the situation, declared the decisions of the Lithuanian parliament illegal and instructed me as President to uphold the constitution. As I said to Senator ((George)) Mitchell ((the majority leader)) when he visited me ((last April)), if an American President had been given that task, he probably would have accomplished it in 24 hours. But it's not like that here. For us the presidency is a new experience.
We really hope to find a solution to this extremely sensitive issue within the framework of our constitution. We are looking for a way to restore constitutional order and authority, and to do so by political means. Let me just stop there, particularly because recently we've seen some new and encouraging signs.
Q. Do you expect a major disagreement with President Bush about a united Germany's being in NATO?