Russia Rejected ‘Tyranny,’ Clinton Says

Savoring victory in one of the most significant foreign policy gambles of his term, President Clinton on Thursday cheered Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin’s reelection, declaring it a good omen for world peace.

“As we celebrate our freedom and independence, we applaud them for their freedom and independence as well,” Clinton said as he commemorated the Fourth of July. “That bodes very good news for the future of the entire world as we move together into a new century.”

Yet the Clinton administration’s relief was tempered by uncertainty about Yeltsin’s intentions for his second term, his failing health and the tremendous economic and social problems facing Russia.

Administration officials said Vice President Al Gore will travel to Moscow next week to congratulate Yeltsin in person and discuss U.S.-Russia policy with Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin, the often colorless bureaucrat who is fast becoming one of Washington’s favorite Russians.

These officials said Yeltsin’s decision on the day after the election to retain Chernomyrdin in the prime minister’s post is an early sign that the on-and-off pro-Western policy that marked Yeltsin’s first term is on again.

Clinton, Secretary of State Warren Christopher and other top U.S. officials made no secret of their preference for Yeltsin over Communist Party challenger Gennady A. Zyuganov.

If the Russian voters had rejected Washington’s candidate, coming on the heels of an Israeli election in which the clear U.S. favorite, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, was defeated, the damage to Clinton’s international prestige would have been substantial.

“This is a historic achievement,” Clinton said after watching a bald eagle being released into the wild near Patuxent Naval Air Station on Chesapeake Bay. “The Russian people have turned their backs on tyranny. They are turning the corner for freedom, and their leaders have cleared another important hurdle in building a new and enduring democracy.”

Later in the day, Clinton led an Independence Day crowd in Youngstown, Ohio, in a round of applause for Yeltsin and the Russian voters.

“We’ve all got a stake in what happens in other countries,” he said.

Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, speaking at a campaign stop in Wheaton, Ill., said Russian voters “again have shown their commitment to democratic ideals and free institutions.”

At the same time, Dole pointedly cautioned: “Events in Russia over the past few years--and the past few weeks--demonstrate there is reason for caution over developments there.”

If Yeltsin reverts to the free-market, pro-democracy policies that marked his early years, he will give an important boost to Clinton’s foreign policy objectives.

Christopher expressed a rosy-hued vision of the future. “We now have the opportunity to advance the considerable progress we have already made with President Yeltsin’s government, including on arms control and [nuclear] nonproliferation, the fight against international crime and terrorism, our common efforts in Bosnia and the Middle East, and Russia’s integration into the global economy,” he said.

Yet there has been little evidence of that kind of progress in recent months, as Yeltsin honed his actions to fit his reelection requirements, running on a populist-nationalist platform that bore little resemblance to the policies of most of his first term.

“Yeltsin the candidate is not necessarily the Yeltsin they get in office,” said Douglas M. Johnston Jr., a former Pentagon expert on Russia who is now executive vice president of the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington.

The biggest question involves Yeltsin’s health. He virtually disappeared from view in the closing days of the campaign and has a history of heart ailments aggravated by occasional bouts of heavy drinking.

Under the Russian Constitution, if Yeltsin dies or becomes incapacitated, Chernomyrdin would become acting president pending new elections in three months.

“Dealing with Chernomyrdin would be fine,” Johnston said. “He commands substantial respect in this country and is credited with a lot of the sanity that prevails with respect to economic growth.”

Kempster reported from Washington and Randolph from Youngstown. Times staff writer Edwin Chen in Chicago contributed to this report.