Deputy Speaker of the State Duma from the Yabloko faction Vladimir Lukin said that the Albanian extremists "should be put in their place" as they may destabilise the situation not only in Macedonia, but also in other Balkan sates.

Greece and Chernogoria, which at present have a considerable number of Albanians, may be next on the list after Macedonia, said Lukin at a meeting with a member of the Senate and National Assembly of France on Monday, July 2, 2001.

According to Lukin, a “broader problem” in the Balkans can be summed up as follows: NATO which assumed the role of peacemaker in this region clearly has not been able to perform its obligations and has been losing trust there. The present situation in Macedonia provides an example, added Lukin.

In response to questions from French deputies, Lukin expressed his view of the situation around the ABM treaty of 1972. He stressed that nobody had said that it was essential to retain all the obligations unchanged.

According to Lukin, "modernisation of this treaty does not represent a
taboo." An the same time he noted that it would be incorrect to say that this treaty should be abandoned, as it had allegedly become outdated by simply referring to its signing in a "bipolar world".

"It is amusing logic: if everything that we have in a bipolar world has become outdated, surely NATO has become outdated as well?" noted Lukin.

According to Lukin, broader consultations on the prospects of this treaty should be held and it should be recognised that "there was a multiplication of small-scale threats". However, he stressed that Moscow believes that “the arguments of the American side on the need to create a national ABM system due to the threats from so-called rogue-states are absolutely unjustified."

In any case, stressed Lukin, the present balance in the world should not be destroyed. "We are ready to speak about all of this, but we would like to preserve the balance for another 15 years," added Lukin. He also noted that the Russia and France held similar views on this issue.

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

ABM section of the web-site