RUSSIA: MOSCOW: TALKS HELD WITH US OVER EXPANSION OF NATO

(1 May 1997) Eng/Russ/Nat Russia and the United States said they had made progress on narrowing their differences on the expansion of NATO in talks on Thursday. The progress was made as U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright flew to Moscow to meet Russian officials to discuss the eastwards expansion of NATO. Albright arrived, saying she would make no new concessions to Russia, which is concerned about central and eastern European nations joining the alliance. Albright, on her second trip to Russia since taking office in January, touched down in Moscow on Thursday for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov. The meeting brought the United States and Russia one step closer to hammering out an agreement on NATO's eastward expansion. After talks with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl last month, Russian President Boris Yeltsin vowed that Russia would soon be ready to sign a charter with NATO in Paris. Such a charter would pave the way for Russia's acceptance of the first round of NATO enlargement due to begin in a couple of months. During a stopover, Albright told reporters she would issue invitations to prospective NATO members in July - even if Russia has failed to sign on by then. While prepared to listen to Russia's concerns about the looming enlargement of the NATO military alliance, Albright said there would be no more concessions to Moscow. But an unexpected phone call from Russian President Boris Yeltsin during Albright's meeting with Primakov, gave the talks gave new impetus. The Russian President spoke with Albright at length providing a breakthrough to stalled talks. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I might say we had an encouraging phone call from President Yeltsin during our talks encouraging - I mean in terms of encouragement to us - to move forward in our negotiations." SUPERCAPTION: Madeleine Albright, U-S Secretary of State Russia's Foreign Minister suggested Moscow no longer felt threatened by NATO expansion. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "Our talks were successful and the most important breakthrough is that we wasted no time in trying to prove to one and another that NATO expansion is a threat to one or the other. We are not caught up in these threats anymore. SUPER CAPTION: Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Foreign Minister Albright's shuttle diplomacy coincided with Russia's most coveted holiday -- May Day. Communists and other opposition parties gathered to criticise the government for both its foreign and domestic policies. The subject of NATO expansion is one of the most debated issues in Russia. Communists and nationalists alike feel that Yeltsin's government has been too soft on the western alliance -- allowing it to come right up to Russia's borders and threaten her national security. Sidelined and forgotten, many Russians are searching for a scapegoat -- something on which to blame Russia's problems. NATO and its eastward expansion is providing just that. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...