[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 20, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65505-65507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31091]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 1995 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 65505]]
Presidential Determination No. 96-6 of December 6, 1995
Assistance Program for New Independent States of
the Former Soviet Union
Memorandum for the Secretary of State
Pursuant to Section 577 of the Foreign Operations,
Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations
Act, 1994 (Titles I-V of Public Law 103-87), I hereby
certify that Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent
States continue to make substantial progress toward the
withdrawal of their armed forces from Latvia and
Estonia.
You are authorized and directed to notify the Congress
of this certification and to publish it in the Federal
Register.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, December 6, 1995.
MEMORANDUM OF JUSTIFICATION REGARDING CERTIFICATION
UNDER SECTION 577 OF THE FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT
FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT,
1994 (TITLES I-V OF PUBLIC LAW 103-87)
There continues to be active and substantial progress
on the issue of Russian and CIS troop withdrawal from
the Baltics since the President's previous
determination under Section 577 ``of substantial
progress'' on June 6, 1995.
Since the last determination, the troop withdrawal
agreement between the Russian Federation and Estonia
was ratified by the Russian State Duma on July 21,
1995, and endorsed by the Federation Council on October
4. Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the federal
law on ratification of the treaty on October 13. The
agreement awaits ratification by the Estonian
legislature. As noted previously, the troop withdrawal
agreement between the Russian Federation and Latvia has
been ratified by both countries, the documents of
ratification having been exchanged on February 27,
1995.
By its terms, Section 577 remains in force until the
President certifies to the Congress under Section
577(b) that all Russian and CIS armed forces have been
withdrawn from Latvia and Estonia, or that the status
of those armed forces has been otherwise resolved by
mutual agreement of the parties. The Section 577(b)
certification is not being made at this time, pending
ratification by Estonia of the agreement between the
Russian Federation and Estonia.
The residual issues remaining between Russia and Latvia
and Russia and Estonia relating to troop withdrawals
continue to be primarily political and social rather
than military. In particular, there continues to be the
question of Russian/CIS military personnel demobilized
in place before August 31, 1994, when all active duty
military personnel and equipment were
[[Page 65506]]
withdrawn from Estonia and Latvia according to agreement. As noted
previously, the lack of precise data for determining
the number of troops demobilized in place, combined
with certain ambiguities in the agreements, contribute
to the difficulty of resolving these residual issues.
Humanitarian concerns continue to constitute another
factor. Since the June 6, 1995 determination, the
parties have actively worked on both bilateral and
multilateral levels to resolve these residual issues.
In particular, they have used the OSCE Permanent
Council and OSCE missions as fora for raising, and
working through, their differences.
Latvia and Russia continue to review lists of
demobilized officers in an orderly manner to clarify
the status of these individuals. In September 1995,
Russia submitted updated lists totaling 1238 former
Russian military personnel whose status is still
unresolved. The Latvians have told the OSCE Mission to
Latvia that they believe another 163, outside these
lists, reside in Latvia illegally. Of the 1238 on the
Russian lists, Russia has committed to repatriating 401
by the end of 1995. In addition, since the last
determination, the Russians have recognized the need
for individual case-by-case review of a second major
category of the 1238, comprised of 771 cases. The
Russians have redesignated the category ``those
claiming to have the right to stay,'' rather than those
``having the right to stay.'' In noting the progress
the two sides have made in resolving the issue of
demobilized officers, the OSCE Mission has also
commended the political will shown by the Latvian
Government in agreeing to investigate each claim to
stay with appropriate care. Latvian President Ulmanis
stated in September that, despite their serious foreign
policy disagreements, Latvia and Russia are continuing
to develop good-neighborly bilateral relations.
The bilateral dialogue between Russia and Estonia has
broadened and deepened since the last determination. On
October 11, Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev and
Estonian Foreign Minister Riivo Sinijarv met in
Helsinki to discuss, among other issues, the Estonian
ratification process for the July 1994 agreements on
troop withdrawal and Russian military pensioners.
Sinijarv termed the meeting ``very constructive and
relaxed,'' and noted that despite difficulties, the two
countries had achieved certain progress in the
normalization of Estonian-Russian relations. In
November, a group of Russian State Duma members visited
the Estonian capital of Tallinn and discussed with
their counterparts the schedule for ratification by
Estonia of the bilateral agreements signed in July
1994. In mid-November during UNESCO's 50th anniversary
celebrations in Paris, Estonian President Lennart Meri
noted that ``relations between Russia and Estonia have
already passed their most difficult stage.'' He
highlighted the progress made on the border talks as an
example of this new phase in relations and stated that
he viewed future relations with Russia with
``optimism.''
The decommissioning of the Paldiski facility in Estonia
has also been cited by both sides as a major bilateral
success. In his 50th UNGA address, Foreign Minister
Sinijarv noted that on September 26 ``the final remnant
of occupation, in the form of the former Soviet nuclear
submarine training facility at Paldiski, will be turned
over to Estonian authorities by civilian Russian
dismantling specialists. I take this opportunity to
acknowledge Estonia's satisfaction with the Russian
Federation's having fulfilled its commitments in this
regard, as mandated by the agreement signed by Russia
and Estonia on 30 July 1994.''
Russia and Estonia continue to use the OSCE Permanent
Council mechanism to raise issues of dispute. The
Russians, for example, chose to use the October 12
meeting of the Permanent Council to express concern
over a decision by the Estonian Parliament to remove
from the week's agenda ratification of the bilateral
Russian-Estonian agreement on military pensioners.
Estonia replied that the Estonian government had
resigned on October 11 and that this issue took
precedence over ratification of the bilateral
agreement. Since the October 12 OSCE meeting, the
Estonian Parliament has been reviewing the package of
troop withdrawal agreements for ratifica
[[Page 65507]]
tion as a high priority agenda item. On November 29, the package of
agreements passed the first of three required readings
in the Estonian Parliament. The OSCE has also appointed
a representative to the Commission dealing with the
granting of residence permits for Russian military
pensioners desiring to stay in Estonia. Applications
are being submitted and processed on a case-by-case
basis under this program.
In U.S. discussions with Russian, Latvian, and Estonian
officials, the residual troop withdrawal issue no
longer receives the priority it once did as an
outstanding problem between Russia and Latvia and
Russia and Estonia. Further, local press commentators
in the leadup to the September 30-October 1 elections
in Latvia pointed out that normality had come at last
to Latvia. Troop withdrawal concerns had ceased to be a
key issue for the populace; integration into European
institutions as well as bread and butter issues had
taken on greater importance.
Russia and Latvia and Russia and Estonia continue to
recognize the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in
resolving the residual issues relating to troop
withdrawals. They continue to look for practical ways,
including through international mechanisms, to solve
their differences and have moved significantly towards
normal bilateral relations. In a November 7 speech to
the opening session of the sixth Saeima in Riga,
Latvian President Ulmanis eloquently defined the
challenge and the goal facing the parties: ``To find a
fruitful balance for this mutual tension of political
factors is both a task and a challenge to the creative
and diplomatic abilities of our politicians.''
[FR Doc. 95-31091
Filed 12-18-95; 2:06 pm]
Billing code 4710-10-M
