Gorbachev says reaches agreements with Bush Sr. to do all to normalize U.S.-Russian relations
MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.S. President George Bush Sr. and former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker agreed on the phone about the need to take joint efforts to seek the ways "out of the abnormal situation" in the relations between Moscow and Washington.
The telephone conversation has taken place on Tuesday evening at Baker's initiative, Gorbachev told Interfax on Wednesday. Bush, Baker and Gorbachev agreed that the current situation in the world causes "special concerns", specifically the relations between the United States and Russia.
Bush agreed on Gorbachev's proposal that "one needs to make everything depending on the political veterans to assist the two countries to get out of this complicated situation, in which their relations are now."
"Of course, it is now most likely impossible to reach a point, in which the relations had been between Bush and me, but one needs to remember that we had pulled out of the Cold War situation. One has to take every effort to improve relations between the U.S. and Russia."
The U.S. side is interested in this proposal, Gorbachev said.
According to Gorbachev, Baker said that everybody in the U.S. had paid attention to his statement regarding the 30th anniversary of the Reykjavik summit. It had been needed to stop the tensions from mounting in the relations between the countries and resume the political dialogue, Gorbachev said.
The former U.S. secretary of state was largely alarmed with bilateral relations, which, in his mind, as Gorbachev said "have grossly deteriorated over the past two years." It is necessary to do everything to improve them, Gorbachev and Baker said.
The parties agreed to continue telephone conversations.
Gorbachev told Interfax that he was in constant contact with George Bush Sr., the president he had cooperated with, being the Soviet Union president.
It was also noted in the telephone conversation that one needs "to use the experience of stopping the Cold War that they had achieved through hard trials," he said. "We have not interrupted the dialogue," Gorbachev said. "If it [the dialog] is not interrupted, it is always possible to find a compromise. No country must declare its victory. Breaking the current stalemate is victory for all," he said.
Bush Sr. said that he completely agreed on this Gorbachev's conclusion. The parties agreed to think over every possible proposal and way to rectify bilateral relations, Gorbachev said.
In reply to Bush's question about his health, Gorbachev said: "Of course, now, the age has an effect on me," but he is still active.
"During the telephone conversation with former U.S. President Bush and former Secretary of State George Shultz they came to conclusion about the need to involve other public forces into their efforts to restore normal relations in the world, and primarily between the U.S. and Russia," Gorbachev also said.
"Of course, we also should engage our former colleagues in politics, the heads of state and government, ministers, as well as scientists, political experts and all those who are interested in establishing normal political relations in the modern world," the former Soviet Union president said.