Clinton pays warm tributes to Yeltsin

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, DEC. 31. The U.S.President,Mr.Bill Clinton, has paid warm tributes to Mr.Boris Yeltsin who resigned as President of Russia and has said that he is looking forward to working with Mr.Vladimir Putin.

In a statement issued on the development, Mr.Clinton said, ``We have had our differences such as on Chechneya but President Yeltsin and my starting point has always been how Russia and the United States could work together to advance common interests.''

The President has also said that the relationship between the United States and Russia under Mr.Yeltsin had produced genuine progress for both peoples. ''Five thousand strategic nuclear have been dismantled and our nuclear weapons are no longer targetted at each other. We have worked together to eliminate nuclear weapons from the other states of the former Soviet Union``, Mr.Clinton has said going on to say that Russia has withdrawn its troops from the Baltic nations and serving alongside with that of U.S.troops in the Balkans and Moscow being instrumental in achieving peace in Kosovo.

''His (meaning Mr.Yeltsin's) lasting achievement has been dismantling the communist system and building new political institutions under democratically elected leaders within a constitutional framework``, Mr.Clinton said adding that Mr.Putin assuming responsibility as Acting President in accordance with the constitution was an example of this achievement.

The President was notified of Mr.Yeltsin's resignation before dawn by his National Security Advisor, Mr.Sandy Berger. The White House has said that while the resignation may have been dramatic, it was not a total surprise. ''While there is an element of surprise it was not a complete one``, a spokesman has said.

Mr. Putin is known in the United States as a tough professional who like his predecessor is determined to continue with the drive of the Russian forces in Chechneya. Washington has been very critical of the Russian offensive in Chechneya.

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Section  : International
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