Yeltsin, Kohl hope to end disagreement over NATO enlargement

THE German Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, and President Yeltsin of Russia said yesterday they were optimistic about a resolution of differences between Russia and NATO over the alliance's plan to accept new members from central and eastern Europe.

But after four hours of talks at the southern German spa resort of Baden Baden, the two men failed to make a breakthrough on the remaining disagreements.

"There are considerable differences of opinion but alter today's meeting I am optimistic that with goodwill on both sides, it will be possible to be on the way towards an agreement before the NATO Russia summit in Paris" on May 27th, Dr Kohl said.

Russia insists that any eastward expansion of NATO must be militarily neutral in effect and no nuclear weapons or conventional NATO troops should be sited in the new member states. NATO has agreed there will be no nuclear weapons in central and eastern Europe, but is resisting Russia's other demands for military restrictions.

Mr Yeltsin said the future of NATO was not a matter for the western alliance alone and Russia must be consulted about any changes in its composition. He thanked Dr Kohl for his support for Russia's demand for a binding consultative mechanism between east and west and welcomed his decision to seek a fifth term.

"I heard of this decision with great satisfaction and I congratulate him on it. As long as co operation between our two countries develops as it has in recent years, everything will be OK, he said.

In a gesture aimed at reducing tension between Bonn and Moscow over art works taken from each other's countries during the second World War, Mr Yeltsin took with him to Baden Baden part of the archive of the pre war German foreign minister, Walther Rathenau.

He a promised to return the microfilm archive of the Socialist Unity Party, which ruled communist East Germany for 40 years. He expressed the hope that President Roman Herzog of Germany would make a similar gesture when he visits Russia in September.

Mr Yeltsin asked Dr Kohl to return properly to the Russian Orthodox Church - including an onion domed Russian church in Baden Baden. Hitler handed the properly to the church, formed by Russian exiles who fled the 1917 revolution. I've given Dr Kohl a list of what we'd like," he added.