CHINA: YELTSIN LASHES OUT AT CLINTON OVER CHECHNYA (2)

(9 Dec 1999) Russian/Nat

VOICED BY: VERA FRANKL

Having won Chinese support for Russia's military campaign in Chechnya, President Boris Yeltsin has lashed out at the U-S, reminding it that Russia still is still a powerful nuclear threat.

At a meeting with Li Peng, China's legislative chairman and the communist government's most hard-line leader, the Yeltsin scorned U-S President Bill Clinton for trying to dictate how the world should behave.

In Moscow however, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stressed there had been no cooling of relations between his country and the U-S.

VOICE-OVER:

0.02:
With his wife Naina, Russian President Boris Yeltsin arrived in China just three days after checking out of hospital with pneumonia.

0.10:
Yeltsin was in Beijing for what were described as informal talks with the Chinese leadership.

0.16:
Arm-in-arm with China's most hard-line leader, Li Peng, the Russian president appeared frail.

0.23:
But he wasn't too weak to lash out at U-S President Bill Clinton for criticising Russia's campaign in Chechnya.

0.31:
SOUNDBITE: (Russian with English voiceover)
0.32: He said "Clinton must have, for a minute, a second, a half-minute, forgotten how powerful Russia is and that we're equipped with a full arsenal of nuclear weapons. He's forgotten about this. And so he's decided to throw his weight around the world."
SUPER CAPTION: Boris Yeltsin, Russian President

0.49:
Speaking in Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tried to smooth over Yeltsin's comments.

0.55:
Putin said relations between Russia and the U-S were fine and neither had intended to provoke the other.

1.04:
SOUNDBITE: (Russian with English voiceover)
He said "I consider it completely incorrect that there's been a cooling of relations between Russia and the United States. I am sure the comments of the U-S president and the Russian president weren't meant to antagonise. As for Russia's nuclear policy, it has existed, it exists, and it will continue to exist."
SUPER CAPTION: Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister

1.28:
But until the Chechnya campaign is ended, it will face further criticism from the international community.

1.38:
VISION ENDS

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