Perry Urges Russian Lawmakers to Approve Arms Pact

U.S. Defense Secretary William J. Perry on Thursday appealed to Russian lawmakers to approve the sweeping START II arms reduction treaty, but his audience reacted with suspicion and distrust of U.S. intentions, particularly Washington’s support for NATO expansion.

Perry appeared before the state Duma, or lower house of parliament, just before President Boris N. Yeltsin announced the ouster of security chief Alexander I. Lebed, who has been accused of building his own rogue army in an attempt to seize power.

Perry faced two hours of questions from members of the Duma’s foreign and defense committees on the arms treaty and on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“I believe the START II treaty is fair and gives neither side an advantage,” Perry said. He said the U.S. and Russia “know that fewer nuclear weapons in the world makes us all safer.”

The U.S. Senate ratified START II in January, but action by the Russian parliament is needed to bring it into force.

The treaty bans all land-based nuclear weapons with multiple warheads by 2003. It would shrink U.S. and Russian arsenals by about two-thirds to approximately 3,500 warheads on each side.

Perry argued that the pact will make the world safer for both nations. It would also let cash-strapped militaries shore up conventional forces instead of wasting money on “maintaining unneeded missiles,” he said. “Why would we want to go back to a period of confrontation with Russia? We have tried cooperation, and we like it better,” Perry said.

But his arguments fell on deaf ears, some lawmakers said later.

“An atmosphere of clear distrust to all that Perry says reigns in the hearings,” liberal member Sergei Yushenkov said. “It is not possible to convince some of the deputies.”

Vladimir Lukin, a former ambassador to the United States and a Duma member, said the body has developed “a sharp drop in the level of trust” in the United States because of Washington’s willingness to consider expanding NATO to include former members of the Warsaw Pact.

Perry acknowledged that Russia’s approval of the START II treaty does not address lawmakers’ concerns about NATO expansion. But he urged them to separate the two issues.

Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), who also addressed the committees, said the U.S. Congress is well aware of the Russian government’s cash-strapped status and is willing to provide funds to support the dismantling of missile sites.