unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/11/89)
Soviet Union has considered i a threat in the past and has tried to negotiate it away. Do you still conside the American Strategic Defense Initiative a threat? Would you still like to see it go away? A: Could you answer the question I would like to pose to you. Are you aware of what SDI actually is? Could you explain to me what SDI is. What is (Laughter) Q: If I could explain it to you, then I could trade places with you. (Laughter) Apparently your government considers it enough of a threat or enou of an issue that they have tried repeatedly to negotiate it away. Apparently they knew what they were trying to negotiate away. Could you discuss it in those terms? A: Yes, I can explain it to you. As long as we are talking now on reduc strategic offensive arms, evidently the final objective of this negotiating process is the anihilation of nuclear inventories of the sides. As long as ou final objective in terms of nuclear weapons is complete anihilation of nuclear weapons, what will SDI have as objectives? It wouldn't have any objectives to be directed (inaudible). We believe in the past, and we believe now, that the attempt to develop and create SDI is an attempt to encourage another cycle of the arms race to involve the Soviet Union into the arms race. What explicitly the Soviet Union declared that we are against spreading the race into outer space and that we i the Soviet Union do not intend to create any similar SDI, space-based weapon systems. So far the SDI project does not have any specific limits to it. If we continue to confirm or persist that the American SDI is threatening the Soviet Union, then the negotiating process would be hampered greatly. It would be impossible to reach agreements on START. So we decided not to make the SDI an absolute precondition which would hamper the process in this regard. And also that the SDI is something hypothetical and nothing practical. Q: Mr. Minister, how does the concept of perestroika apply to the Soviet military? What changes have taken place? What changes can we expect? Would it be normal to expect that the Defense Minister would be a civilian under parastroyka? A: It is difficult for me to answer this question explicitly. I mean, when you have in mind whether we are going to have a civilian Minister of Defense in the years ahead, starting from the years of the old Russia, the Russia of Kiev, the military power has always been led by a military man,--the men that were knowledgable in the field of tactics and strategy. (Inaudible) in the Soviet Union, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (inaudible) otherwise and might decide to have a civilian person as head of the Department of Defens in the Soviet Union. This is not a question of principle, I believe. Whoever is going to be appointed will have to face the responsibility of heading the military of defense. I don't believe that a Minister of Defense would have (inaudible) to drop from a plane with a parachute. The Minister of Defense is more of a political analyst and a politician. But on the other hand, it is difficult to separate perfectly the military affairs from the political affair As far as the question of how the Soviet military are referring to the perestroika going on in the Soviet Union, we all are supporting the renewal processes in our society. The renewal in the Soviet military is not as noticed as it is noticeable in the national economy. We are trying to put more democractic more (inaudible) in the relationships among (inaudible). We are supporting more and more openness in the relations among the military. You understand that perestroika was not comprised of (inaudible). Perestroika was intended to bring about a renewal of the relations in the Soviet society as a whole. And you must understand the renewal processes have touched upon the ways of the military in our armed forces. I want to give you one example. Among the Deputies of the new Supreme Soviet there are 93 military officers. We have there a military cadet (inaudible almost any military grade you name it. (Inaudible) on his own initiative for the Office of the Deputy and was supported by (inaudible) constituency. The opposing member who was a general officer was defeated in the election campaig So (inaudible) armed forces. At the latest session of the Supreme Soviet there were lieutenant colonel that voted against the proposal of the Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union (Inaudible) of the Minister of Defense. So these are the rights enjoyed by al the citizens of our society. So to a certain extent the perestroika processes have already been practi in the armed forces of the USSR. Secretary Cheney: If I may, Ladies and Gentlemen, in light of the hour, thank the Defense Minister for his remarks. I would like to at this point say that I accept his kind invitation to visit the Soviet Union on a date to be determined. And I look forward to having the opportunity to return the visit, the historic first visit ever, by the Soviet Defense Minister to the United States. Thank you. Minister Yazov: Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen, and goodbye. * Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501) --- Patt Haring | United Nations | Did u read patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | misc.headlines.unitex patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | today? -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-