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Russian

Grigory Pasko Defence Committee

Mr President,

In July 1998 Grigory Pasko Defence Committee was founded. The Members of the Committee are: Andrei Bitov, President of Russian PEN-Center, tel.209-45-89; Aleksandr Misailov, journalist, tel. 906-611-68; Karen Nersisian, lowyer, tel. 209-45-90; Naum Nim, Chef-Editor of Index/Dos'e na Tzensuru, tel. 229-16-71; Aleksei Simonov, President of Glasnost Defence Foundation, tel. 201-44-20, fax. 201-49-47; Aleksandr Tkachenko, Director of Russian PEN-Center, tel. 209-45-89; Lev Fedorov, President of the Union "For Chemical Safety", tel.-fax. 129-05-96; Aleksei Jablokov, Co-Chairman of Council of Social-Ecological Union, tel.-fax. 952- 30-07.

The foundation of the Committee is the result of seruous axiety of the present situation in Russia. It's characteristic feature is: it becomes impossible to compell the secret services to follow the legislation and the principles of human rights.

Mr. President!

You to a great measure are responsible of security of your country. Probably, USA render support to present leadership of Russia founding on considerations of security. We understand your aspiration for political and social stability in one of the biggest nuclear powers which would garantee the enough safety in the immediate proximity with this "nuclear keg". Now you have an uncommon possibility to reach more safe future for the whole world if you find the mode to render your support under the condition of "transparency" of the ecological policy of Russian leadership. Recently the leadership and secret services contrary to Russian legislation consistently carry out the project of returning our country to the informational closeness, and the problems of ecological safety become the first issue in the agenda. The accumulated in Russia ecological problems threaten with world-scale disaster. For example, since August 1994 all the data about the radioactive waste materials buried in Siberia and Volga's district have been made secret. And this is only one example from many ones.

The prosecution of military journalist- ecologist Grigory Pasko who is arrested for his aspiration to make widely known the problem of the pollution of Far-Eastern seas with radioactive waste materials is the most clear example of the purposeful hiding of the information on the ecological situation.

Rending support including financial to the Russian leadership you shoulder the responsibility for the future that now is being prepared for Russia and the entire world by this leadership. Refusing to lay down as the condition of your country's support the obligation to assure the ecological security (and the control on fulfillment of these obligations) you assist actions which threaten as well the security of Russia as the security of your own country. The free professional work of such journalists as Grigory Pasko is the pledge of ecological security. Such people are uncommon in our country and now after this undisguised prosecution of Pasko for his professional activities the possibility of their appearance is lower than ever.

Mr. President!

I hope your common sense and responsibility when making decisions on mutual relations of our country and your attention to the informational policy of Russian leadership. As a first step you could require to stop the prosecution of journalist Grigory Pasko (Vladivostok). Until USA render financial support to Russia you have the possibility to lay down the reasonable and fair conditions.

It's a great sorrow for me, but your today's full support of Kremlin without any preliminary conditions, concerning democratic reforms in Russia, without an attampt to make conclusions about the state of democracy in Russia provokes anxiety amoung many Russians and negative opinion of US policy.

Possibly, during your September visit to Russia you'll meet the expressions of this disapproval of your position.

I'm really hurted that today the quantity of partisans of anti-american position is growing not only owing to former communists, but owing to those who share the principles of democracy.

1998 August 28

(Attachment: 3 Documents)