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- <text id=93TT1370>
- <title>
- Apr. 05, 1993: Advice From Two Old Pros
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1993
- Apr. 05, 1993 The Generation That Forgot God
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- RUSSIA, Page 27
- Advice From Two Old Pros
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p>By Hugh Sidey and Christopher Ogden
- </p>
- <p>Richard Nixon and Mikhail Gorbachev
- </p>
- <p> In the midst of Russia's crisis, TIME contributor Hugh
- Sidey talked with Richard Nixon, and contributor Christopher
- Ogden interviewed Mikhail Gorbachev, who was on a visit to
- Calgary, Alberta.
- </p>
- <p> RICHARD NIXON
- </p>
- <p> ON THE U.S. AND YELTSIN: Without our help, [he] will
- certainly fail. The choice we have here is between Yeltsin with
- his weaknesses and an alternative. Having met all the players,
- I can say there's not one of them that would not be worse. They
- are strong men and they are able men, but all of them would slow
- down economic reforms. ON RUSSIAN LAW: The constitution is just
- a jerry-built thing and needs to be changed, and that's what
- Yeltsin wants to do. ON CLINTON'S SUPPORT FOR YELTSIN: I think
- Clinton is making a gutsy call, really the mark of a leader.
- There's no question a majority of the American people at this
- time would oppose aid to Russia. Clinton realizes that if the
- Yeltsin government goes down, it means the peace dividend is
- down the tube and the defense budget has to be increased by
- billions of dollars. ON WESTERN AID TO RUSSIA: It has to be
- substantially more than has currently been discussed. We must
- avoid doing just enough to get our feet wet, but not enough to
- work. If we're not preto do the whole job, then we should stay
- out of it. ON GORBACHEV'S FUTURE: The Russians are not going
- back to Gorbachev. He's a man without a party. The Russians are
- also not going back to communism. Even the Russian Speaker
- [Khasbulatov], who wants power, doesn't want to do that.
- </p>
- <p> MIKHAIL GORBACHEV
- </p>
- <p> ON RUSSIAN POLITICS: The Congress wanted to do some
- irreversible damage to the President. The Congress did not
- succeed. The President too wanted actually to dismiss the
- Congress. It is not proper for the President to do such things.
- Neither side can win outright, and that's good. Thank God for
- that. We don't need victors in this situation. ON THE NEXT STEP:
- Early elections are what our democracy needs now. As early as
- May. New elections will bring in some very good people, some new
- forces. ON THE COUP THREAT: We have a different kind of society
- now. Those who shout that the President should firmly adhere to
- the constitution would fully unmask themselves if they tried to
- do something unconstitutional while he was away. So I think
- there's no problem in Yeltsin's coming to Vancouver. ON U.S.
- SUPPORT: I think you have to invest in the new Russia, in our
- common future. I mean not just financial investment. I mean also
- political investment. You should support the process of reform.
- You should support all those who are realistic. Don't just look
- at those people waving the red banners. This is not Russia's
- mood. ON WHETHER HE WILL RETURN TO POLITICS: I could answer the
- call. If I saw that Russia was in a critical state and that all
- of us Russian citizens who could do something should do
- something for the country, I would do it. But I don't see that
- kind of situation.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
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