Word: meier
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...mediation is required. But Yeltsin no longer regards Clinton a policy adviser in good standing, and he?s made abundantly clear that Moscow regards Chechnya as an entirely domestic matter. "For Moscow, Western criticism has made Chechnya more than simply a war against terrorism," says TIME Moscow correspondent Andrew Meier. "It's taken on the subtext of an anti-NATO campaign, and the more the West complains the more Russia?s generals will dig in their heels...
...avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Chechnya. The issue is set to dominate next week's summit of the 54-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which will be attended by President Clinton. "Western pressure may actually stiffen the resolve of the generals to fight on," says Meier. "The last thing they want is to be seen to be caving into the West." But some in the military hierarchy are also wary of being caught in the potential quagmire of a guerrilla war in a Chechen winter. If anything, though, that fear may propel them to accelerate the timetable...
...pattern was established Friday, when Russian troops advanced into Chechnya's second city, Gudermes, only to find its Chechen defenders already gone. "Chechen sources say most of their fighters are retreating into the mountains and drawing Russia into the cities as winter sets in," says TIME Moscow correspondent Andrew Meier. "They see it as a trap, because winter will hamper the Russian attack helicopters and allow the Chechens to wage a more effective guerrilla campaign." Then again, Russian commanders may be tempted to test whether the Chechens' by now familiar "We have not yet begun to fight" mantra...
...seize Pristina airport, and right now in Chechnya it's unclear if the civilian political leaders or the generals are in charge. "The military is certainly making clear that it plans to finish the job that the Kremlin didn't let it finish in 1996," says Moscow correspondent Andrew Meier...
Despite Putin's tough talk, Oslo was not good for Moscow's new boy on the block. "In Russia he's perceived to have lost face because of Clinton's strong words on Chechnya," says Meier. "More important, Moscow was cut out of the all-important discussions in Oslo on the Middle East peace process. So while Chechnya has boosted his claims as a tough disciplinarian who can do the job at home, Russians are starting to doubt whether he can cut it as an international statesman." And that's a fact that hasn't escaped Boris Yeltsin, who returned...