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Clinton: Duma Russia on Important Journey
US President Bill Clinton told Russian parliamentarians on Monday in Moscow their country's journey to democracy and the free market was the most important he would witness in his lifetime.
In the first speech by a major Western leader to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Clinton said Russia's economy was growing and the vast country was beginning to produce the goods and services people wanted.
"Russia's future is very important to others because it is among the most important journeys the world will witness in my lifetime," he said.
"A great deal of the 21st century will be strongly influenced by the success of the Russian people in building a modern, strong, democratic nation that is part of the life of the rest of the world."
He said differences between the two countries on missile defence were mainly technical and could eventually be resolved.
He and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at a summit on Sunday that there was an emerging threat from so-called rogue states, but did not agree on how to tackle it.
"I learned on my trip to Russia the issue is not whether we intend to do something that will undermine mutual deterrence," he said.
"The real question is a debate over what the impact of this will be, because of the capacity of the technology involved...
"I believe that we ought to be able to reach an agreement about how we should proceed at each step along the way here in a way that preserves mutual deterrence, preserves strategic stability and preserves the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. That is my goal."
He also said the United States would support Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation.
"Russia should not be the only major industrialised country standing outside this global trading system," he said. "We will support you, but you must know the decision to join the WTO requires difficult choices that only you can make."
Russia, which applied in 1993 to enter the WTO, recently said it was ready to intensify efforts to join the organisation.
Clinton said the United States wanted a strong Russia that was part of Europe, although the two countries' interests were not identical and they would have differences.
He arrived at the Duma, just across the street from the Kremlin and Red Square, soon after 10 a.m. (0600 GMT). About 50 demonstrators protesting against US influence in Europe greeted his motorcade as he pulled up.
Members of the Federation Council, the upper chamber, were also present in the Duma to hear Clinton's speech, one of his last engagements before he heads for Ukraine on his way back to Washington after a week-long European tour.
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