President
Obama and Russia President Medvedev shake hands
as
they exchange the signed START Treaty in Prague, April 8.
Le Figaro, France
East Europeans Shudder at Better U.S.-Russia Ties
The apparent
honeymoon between Obama and Medvedev has awakened old fears in Prague, Warsaw,
Budapest and elsewhere, where memories of the Soviet occupation remain
ever-present, nineteen years after the end of the Cold War and the
disintegration of the USSR.
President Obama and Russian President
Medvedev after signing START - the new U.S.-Russia Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, in Prague. Eastern Europeans are concerned about how this may herald a period of expanded Russian influence.
Barack Obama's efforts weren't yet complete after the historic
handshake he exchanged with Dmitri Medvedev on Thursday in Prague. While the
Russian president returned to Moscow as soon as the START Treaty signing ceremony
ended, his American counterpart prepared to extend his stay in the Czech
capital by several hours. It was time to entertain at dinner, eleven heads of
state and government from central and eastern Europe at the American
ambassador's residence, before taking off for Washington aboard Air Force One
on Friday morning.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Far from a formality, this meal among allies was of vital
importance for the White House chief, who had to listen to the ably-expressed grievances of
his Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Baltic partners over the apparent honeymoon between their host and Dmitry Medvedev.
Across the heart of the continent - the former dividing line
between the Atlantic Alliance and the Warsaw Pact - the Russian-American
strategic rapprochement isn't bringing happiness. In Prague, Warsaw, Budapest
and elsewhere, the memory of the Soviet occupation remains very present,
nineteen years after the end of the cold war and the break-up of the USSR. For
a decade, the former satellite states of Moscow had thought that by joining
NATO one after the other, they were protecting themselves against a resurgence
of Russian imperialism. But Washington's new nuclear doctrine which was unveiled
Tuesday, the START Treaty to reduce Russian and American arsenals, and after
the Georgian crisis during the summer of 2009, old fears have been stirred.
"By signing this treaty in Prague, the United States is
symbolically affirming its involvement in European security and the
obsolescence of the old East-West divisions. But risk also exists that the
Russians will take advantage of this visit to say: we're there, and you remain
in the Russian sphere of influence."
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
In July 2009, backed by many Eastern European leaders, former
Czech President Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa, his Polish colleague, fired off an
open
letter to the Obama Administration, enjoining it to maintain its presence
in the region and counter the Russians, who had taken aim. Their successors now
hope that this appeal was heard.
