Word: yeltsin
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...diplomats in Moscow and other Western officials got wind of what Yeltsin was planning 24 hours in advance, and Clinton made sure to watch his fellow President's speech on a White House TV set. After several hours with his advisers, he sent communications director George Stephanopoulos before reporters to make delicately nuanced statements intended to bolster Yeltsin and the cause of reform without explicitly endorsing his particular moves. "President Yeltsin has proposed to break a political impasse by taking it to the people. That is appropriate in democracies," said Stephanopoulos. Was Yeltsin meanwhile operating outside the Russian constitution? "That...
...would it be safe for Yeltsin to leave Russia then, amid the turmoil preceding the April 25 referendum? Could he even survive until the vote? The legislative bodies, packed with industry bosses, collective-farm managers and apparatchiks elected under the old communist system, had no intention of going quietly into what their Bolshevik forebears called the dustheap of history. The Supreme Soviet began meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss Yeltsin's actions, while the Congress of People's Deputies was likely to be called into its own session starting Wednesday...
Last week the top military brass flatly told Yeltsin they wanted order and demanded resolute action from him to end his power struggle with the Congress. But there is strong conservative sentiment in military ranks. Even if the top generals try to stay out of politics, many lower officers who are dismayed by the miserable living conditions of army units withdrawn from Eastern Europe and horrified by the economic and political chaos may feel otherwise. According to former KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin, recent army surveys show that two-thirds or more of the officers oppose the current reforms...
...SATURDAY MORNING BEfore Yeltsin's speech, disgruntled officers of the Moscow military district met in the parliament house to pledge their support to Yeltsin's archenemy, Ruslan Khasbulatov, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet. Vice President Rutskoi, a former general who is a hero of the Afghan war and has become more bold in challenging his boss, has far more influence with the troops than does his nominal chief Yeltsin -- and has political ambitions of his own. Of course if Yeltsin is impeached he will automatically become President. If troops do go into the streets and take sides...
...decision is to be made by ballots rather than bullets or impeachment, Yeltsin -- the first popularly elected chief of government in 1,000 years of Russian history -- is already running hard. Parts of his Saturday address sounded like a Western campaign speech. First came bitter denunciations of his opponents and the direction in which they would take Russia -- back to communist rule, according to Yeltsin. The President repeatedly accused his opponents in the parliament of creating "chaos" that was leading to "the death of Russia," and declared grimly that the country "cannot afford another October Revolution" (the one that brought...