Chechnya War Threatens Russian G-7 Involvement Christopher Tells Moscow To End Bloody Battle Against Breakaway Republic Or Sit Out Of Summits

Secretary of State Warren Christopher warned Wednesday that Russia will lose its chance of winning a place at the annual summit meeting of the world’s leading industrial nations unless it ends its bloody war in its breakaway republic of Chechnya.

“The evolvement of their participation in the G-7 will be affected by world opinion and the judgment that the world as a whole makes about their conduct,” he told a news conference just before a private three-hour dinner with Russian Foreign Minister Andrei V. Kozyrev. They plan to continue meetings today.

Russia’s military effort to suppress Chechen separatists is “tragically wrong … really quite foolhardy,” Christopher said. “The Russians are paying a very high price internationally. They are certainly paying a very high price in terms of American public opinion.”

A senior State Department official said Kozyrev told Christopher that Russia wanted an “expanded role” in the G-7, the West’s most exclusive club.

The official said Christopher replied brusquely that such a step was impossible under present circumstances, though Russia can participate in the June summit scheduled in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the same limited basis as in recent years.

“Russia began a relationship with G-7 because it was a democratic, reformist state,” one official said. “To the extent that the premise is not there, it will affect the progress of the relationship.”

The G-7 members are the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. Russia has been invited to recent summits but has not yet been asked to join the group.

Christopher also made it clear Wednesday that he believes there should be a limit to the price Russia must pay for its present policy. He said efforts by the Republican-controlled Congress to cut off U.S. economic aid to Russia because of Chechnya or Moscow’s announced intention to sell Iran nuclear technology “would hurt us as much or more than it would hurt the Russians.”

In Russia, the government reported that it had succeeded in encircling and cutting off Chechen rebels in the holdout town of Argun. Russian Defense Minister Pavel S. Grachev issued an ultimatum to the Chechen fighters to surrender or face annihilation.

For his part, Kozyrev said the West should ignore the situation in Chechnya.

“What’s important is that nobody makes any artificial linkages or tries to exercise any political pressure on each other,” he said. “But I don’t see any issue which can’t be discussed or examined between the two of us because, after all, that’s what partnership is.”