MOSCOW, May 9 -- President Clinton walked a fine line Tuesday, honoring the 27 million Soviets who perished during World War II while avoiding any hint of endorsement for the troops carrying out Moscow's brutal repression of a separatist rebellion in Chechnya. During a day heavy in ceremony, the president marked Russia's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Nazi defeat by placing a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns, watching a parade of Soviet veterans in Red Square and delivering a speech at the dedication of a World War II museum. Clinton, who noted that one in eight Soviets died during the war, was clearly moved by the human expression of that loss in the faces of elderly veterans standing at attention in Red Square and praised the valor of America's ally in the fight against European fascism. 'Those numbers (of dead) numb the mind and defy comprehension,' Clinton said during his address at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. 'Your extraordinary courage helped to hasten the victory we all enjoy today. 'Now we must all say, you wrote some of the greatest chapters in the history of heroism.' In the evening, the president and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton attended a state banquet at the Kremlin. Afterward, they made a brief stop at a 16th century monastery on a bend of the Moscow River that Clinton visited 25 years ago as a student. The Clintons paused to watch colorful fireworks exploding in the sky to mark the end of Russia's celebration of the 50th anniversary.
Administration officials said the president had ruled substantive talks out of bounds on his first day in Moscow, but that he and Russian leader Boris Yeltsin would get down Wednesday to some of the basic issues troubling the U.S.-Russian relationship. Both leaders were expected to hold one-on-one talks and, later, make a joint statement at a news conference. While Clinton paid tribute Tuesday to the millions of Soviet war dead, he -- along with British Prime Minister John Major and several other Western leaders -- stayed away from the main military parade in Moscow, an orgy of hardware and goose-stepping troops. U.S. officials and, to a lesser degree, European leaders initially held off on their criticism of the Chechen operation for fear it might be interpreted as meddling in Russia's internal affairs. But the West condemned the effort once such abuse as the indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets came to light. Clinton was so concerned about sending the wrong signal on the bloody conflict that the president held off on a commitment to attend the World War II celebrations until Moscow offered assurances that the events in which he participated would not include units deployed in Chechnya. 'The military campaign in Chechnya causes the United States grave concern,' White House press secretary Mike McCurry said. 'To the point that we sought assurances that there would not be participation by Chechen units in the parade that the president witnessed in Red Square today.' The president's game of diplomatic peek-a-boo with the thousands of Russian troops surging through Moscow took on an almost farcical tone at times. While Clinton retired for what U.S. officials described as a 'snooze' during the main military parade, Russian jet fighters screaming overhead shook his hotel in the heart of Moscow. Clinton's day in Moscow included no consultations with Yeltsin on several thorny issues the uneasy new friends are attempting to resolve. The talks on NATO expansion, Moscow's plans for nuclear cooperation with Iran and several other matters were delayed until Wednesday. In an attempt to head off any embarrassing 'surprises' Wednesday, officials said Clinton reassured Yeltsin in a letter last week that Washington has no secret agenda in its plan for expanding the NATO alliance. National security adviser Anthony Lake, who spoke with reporters aboard the president's plane on the way to Moscow, said Clinton once again urged Yeltsin to participate in a U.S.-conceived plan that allows nations of the former East Bloc to gain admittance into NATO. 'It is very important that the Russians understand that in this process there are no surprises -- a transparent process,' Lake said. 'We are not accelerating the process, which is the impression they got' last year. The Clinton administration is attempting to create what officials refer to as a 'new security architecture for Europe.' The centerpiece of that vision involves gradually expanding the Cold War alliance to the East through a U.S.-conceived program known as 'partnership for peace.' The partnership for peace, a sort-of junior NATO membership, allows participating nations to familiarize themselves with alliance culture, equipment and procedures by participating in military maneuvers and planning. But the program, which 25 countries have joined, does not provide coveted Western security guarantees. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary -- three of the most Western- leaning nations of the former East bloc -- have repeatedly argued that they should be admitted immediately as a hedge against Russian recidivism. But the United States, which considered backing such a move, opted for a more gradual approach that would not alienate Moscow. Despite repeated attempts by the Clinton administration to mollify Russian concerns, Yeltsin continues to balk at endorsing alliance expansion or joining the partnership for peace. The 'surprise' to which Lake referred came last year during a summit of European leaders in Budapest. The Clinton administration expected Yeltsin to formally join the expansion scheme, but the Russian president backed out at the last minute. Yeltsin, who must contend with pockets of strong domestic opposition to such cooperation with the United States, argued that gradual eastward expansion of NATO would redraw Cold War lines across Europe. The last thing Russia needed was another opposing military bloc at its front door, Yeltsin said. But U.S. officials downplayed expectations that Yeltsin would join the partnership during the summit as a result of Clinton's letter, which all NATO members signed off on during a meeting in Brussels two months ago. NATO has also offered to form a 'special relationship' with Russia in which expansion and related security issues can be hashed out, but will not go forward with it until Moscow joins partnership for peace. The Clinton administration also wants Russia to cancel a contract with Iran for nuclear reactors and a piece of equipment that would allow the radical Islamic regime to extract bomb-grade radioactive material from spent nuclear fuel rods. Clinton decided last week to impose a complete trade embargo on Iran for its terrorist activities and efforts to acquire atomic arms. Russia has so far refused to walk away from the $1 billion deal, but indicated that it may peel off the portion of the contract that gives Iran gas centrifuge equipment and extensive nuclear training.
