RUSSIA: DUMA LOWER CHAMBER VOTES TO SUSPEND MOSCOW'S PARTICIPATION IN NATO'S PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE
Record ID:
328608
RUSSIA: DUMA LOWER CHAMBER VOTES TO SUSPEND MOSCOW'S PARTICIPATION IN NATO'S PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE
- Title: RUSSIA: DUMA LOWER CHAMBER VOTES TO SUSPEND MOSCOW'S PARTICIPATION IN NATO'S PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE
- Date: 9th September 1995
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (SEPTEMBER 9, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV DUMA DELEGATES CHATTING 0.04 2. SV DUMA DELEGATES LISTENING 0.07 3. SV DUMA FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HEAD VLADIMIR LUKIN ADDRESSING DUMA AND CALLING FOR CHANGE OF RUSSIAN POLICY (RUSSIAN) 0.36 4. SLV MEDIA 0.38 5. SV ULTRA-NATIONALIST LEADER VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY CALLING FOR RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ANDREI KOZYREV TO BE SACKED (RUSSIAN) 1.14 6. SV RYBKIN LISTENING 1.17 7. LV/SV COMMUNIST LEADER GENNADY ZYUGANOV CALLING KOZYREV MINISTER OF SHAME (RUSSIAN) (2 SHOTS) 1.34 8. SLV LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF RUSSIA DEPUTIES SNATCHING THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CROSS FROM LIBERAL DEPUTY FATHER GLEB YAKUNIN SAYING HE IS UNFIT TO WEAR IT BECAUSE FAILING TO SUPPORT HIS ORTHOX SERB BROTHERS (RUSSIAN) 1.46 9. SLV ZHIRINOVSKY SCUFFLING WITH DEPUTY YEVGENIA TISHKOVSKAYA OF THE NEW REGIONAL POLICY PARTY 2.03 10.SV RYBKIN CALLING FOR VOTE 2.06 11.SV RESULT ANNOUNCED ON MONITOR / DELEGATES SPEAKING / GV DUMA IN SESSION (7 SHOTS) 2.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 24th September 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City:
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVA6LFAYU3DG7ZCOIBHARMBAG1Q
- Story Text: The Russian parliament opened an extraordinary, and eventually inelegant, session on Saturday (September 9) to discuss air strikes by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) against Bosnian Serbs.
The Duma, angered by the NATO air strikes and keeping up a torrent of pressure from Moscow over the bombing of Serb positions, asked Russian President Boris Yeltsin to punish the West by freezing cooperation with NATO and withdrawing from United Nations (U.N.) sanctions against rump Yugoslavia.
An ugly brawl later broke out between deputies arguing over the issue of help for orthodox Serbs.
The State Duma lower chamber voted overwhelmingly to accept a resolution that would open a major rift with the West if implemented.
The non-binding resolution, approved by 258 votes to two, calls on Yeltsin to consider suspending Moscow's participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace cooperation programme with former Warsaw Pact states.
The document also proposed that Russia lift U.N. sanctions against Serbia unilaterally and introduce them against Croatia.
Another clause accused Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev of mishandling Russia's foreign policy and demanded his dismissal.
The resolution was approved after more than four and a half hours of debate peppered with warnings of World War Three breaking out in the Balkans.
"This is the start of world war," thundered Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the ultra-nationalist leader who made several radical proposals that included withdrawing Russian ambassadors from NATO countries carrying out the bombing.
But the Duma was nearly unanimous in accusing NATO of siding with Bosnian Moslems and Croats against the Serbs and blasted the Western alliance for ignoring Russia's objections to air strikes.
Declared communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said of Kozyrev that he was "the minister of national shame." "It is now clear that we have no policy in Yugoslavia and our influence on the situation is very weak," Vladimir Lukin, the liberal head of the Duma's foreign affairs committee, said.
Zhirinovsky demanded that Yeltsin sack Kozyrev immediately. "He should be prosecuted for his crimes," the nationalist leader said.
A vicious brawl broke out during the debate when a right-wing member of the Russian parliament ripped a silver crucifix from the neck of Orthodox priest and fiery liberal deputy father Gleb Yakunin.
Yakunin was being accused of not giving enough support to his orthodox, Serb brothers and the brawl was joined by Zhirinovsky who tried to prevent a woman deputy, Yevgenia Tishkovskaya, from defending Yakunin.
Zhirinovsky grabbed her first by the arm, then the neck, then the hair and some of her buttons were torn off.
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