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Viewing cable 10MOSCOW391, RUSSIAN DUMA MEMBERS WANT US-RUSSIA RELATIONS BASED

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10MOSCOW391 2010-02-22 11:03 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Moscow
VZCZCXRO9514
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHMO #0391/01 0531103
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221103Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6550
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 000391 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR T, H, EUR/RUS, VCI/SI 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PARM ECON ETRD RS
 
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN DUMA MEMBERS WANT US-RUSSIA RELATIONS BASED 
ON TRUST AND DIALOGUE 
 
MOSCOW 00000391  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: At the invitation of Duma Foreign Relations 
Committee Chair Konstantin Kosachev, the Ambassador met for 90 
minutes with a delegation of Duma members traveling with 
Kosachev to the U.S. to meet with members of Congress. 
Discussion topics ranged from imports of U.S. chicken to 
Afghanistan, with considerable attention focused on the recent 
announcement of deployments in 2015 of SA-3 missile systems to 
Romania.  Kosachev, joined by other members, was extremely 
critical of the announcement, questioning timing and 
justifications.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Ambassador Beyrle opened the 90-minute session, 
conducted in Russian but closed to the press, by giving an 
overview of U.S.-Russian relations since the inauguration of 
President Obama.  He emphasized achievements of the Bilateral 
Presidential Commission, and noted the importance of 
completing a START agreement, working closely to address the 
Iranian nuclear threat and instability in Afghanistan. 
Kosachev (United Russia) welcomed the Ambassador's comments, 
himself stressing the need for constructive results, not just 
discussion, on such matters as European security, non- 
proliferation, and energy markets.  He supports the idea of 
establishing a U.S. Congressional Caucus on Russia.  Kosachev 
and his delegation will meet with Rep. Howard Berman and other 
members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee the week of 
February 22. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Real Confidence and Cooperation Needed 
-------------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) Duma Deputy Leonid Slutskiy (Liberal Democratic 
Party) questioned the real impact of the "reset."  He argued 
that comprehensive common goals have not yet been set by both 
governments.  He cited the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, the 1-2-3 
Agreement, and the failure by U.S. poultry firms to meet 
Russian sanitary requirements.  He noted that the situation 
with poultry products has been improving, after U.S. firms 
acknowledged Russia's concerns over chlorine.  Slutskiy asked 
the Ambassador to study the initiative by Senators Kerry and 
Levin on eliminate the Jackson-Vanik Amendment in order to 
establish normal trade relations between the U.S. and Russia. 
He expressed interest in meeting with Kerry and LEvin when in 
Washington.  He urged the U.S. Trade Representative to study 
the proposal, commenting that outdated amendments adversely 
affect U.S. economic interests. 
 
4. (SBU) Deputy Andrey Klimov (United Russia) reinforced the 
initiative of Russian and EU MPs to invite members of the U.S. 
Congress to their joint European Parliament-Russian Duma 
sessions in order to remove any suspicions that Russia is 
attempting to foment discord between the U.S. and EU.  He 
reported that the next joint session with U.S. participation 
is scheduled for December 2010. 
 
5. (SBU) Deputy Semyon Bagdasarov (Just Russia) spoke about 
Afghanistan, and the involvement of Russian companies in 
support of Coalition Forces.  According to Bagdasarov, Russia 
is already providing a great deal of assistance to ISAF 
troops.  He cited the threat of terrorism and narcotic 
trafficking into Russia as increasing.  He argued that the war 
in Afghanistan will last long time and Coalition Forces should 
be more active in the northern parts of the country fighting 
the producers of heroin and destroying starting points of 
narco-trafficking.  Both sides should work together to prevent 
the emergence of new terrorist activity in Central Asia.  He 
argued passionately that Russia is not interested in Iran's 
nuclear capabilities.  He is concerned that Iran is actively 
arming under the group of religious radicals and we must 
prevent Iran from disintegrating by acting very carefully. 
 
------------------------- 
Missile Defense and START 
------------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) Chairman Kosachev asked the Ambassador about the 
"shocking uncooperativeness and secretiveness of U.S. Missile 
Defense (MD) plans in Romania and Bulgaria."   He lamented 
that Russian leaders, including FM Lavrov, learned of the news 
from media reports.  He recalled the September 2009 disclosure 
information about a second Iranian nuclear facility in Qom as 
a similar unilateral act that was incompatible with an overall 
atmosphere of "reset" and the improvement of trust and 
confidence between the U.S. and Russia.  Such acts by the 
U.S., he argued, threatened the gradual rapprochement of 
positions on Iran, Afghanistan and especially START. 
 
MOSCOW 00000391  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
7. (SBU) Other committee members agreed with Kosachev's 
concerns.  Bagdasarov questioned the timing of the 
announcement.  Why before START is finished?  He argued that 
Iran does not present a threat that would be mitigated by SA- 
3's (ignoring Ambassador's explanation that the deployment was 
scheduled for 2015, and that we want to begin now to prepare 
for a possible threat down the road.) 
 
BEYRLE