The Guardian / U.K.
Staff and agencies Tuesday September 25, 2001
After offering his broad support for American military action last night, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, today met German leaders who will seek to solidify Russian support for an international coalition against terrorism.
Mr Putin was received by the German president, Johannes Rau, in Berlin on the first day of his three-day visit to the west. Both leaders stood at attention as a military band played national anthems outside the president's Bellevue palace.
The German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, was meeting Mr Putin later today to lobby him for Russian support against terrorism in the aftermath of the devastating attacks on New York and Washington. Mr Putin, who speaks fluent German from his time as a KGB agent in East Germany, was due to give a speech in the German parliament today, a rare honour for a foreign head of state. His speech will be the first by a Russian leader to the united Germany's parliament.
Though the two leaders have established a close relationship, past meetings have often raised disputes such as Moscow's foreign debt. Now, Russia's experience in combating Islamic extremism, its knowledge of Afghanistan and influence over neighbouring central Asia give it new political leverage.
Given the unwillingness of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to allow the US military to launch attacks from their soil, Russia's cooperation is critical to the success of a US military campaign in the region. US and British forces hope to use former Soviet bases in central Asia for retaliatory strikes in Afghanistan.
"Russia has a very important role in the international fight against terrorism," said a German government official who spoke about the visit yesterday on condition of anonymity. "What's important is that we all stand together closely."
Mr Putin promised last night to open Russian airspace to humanitarian flights and to arm opposition forces fighting Afghanistan's Taliban government. In a speech on national television, Mr Putin also said that Moscow would be ready to help in search and rescue operations.
For Mr Putin, the visit to Germany is a chance to work on the "strategic partnership" with Moscow that Europe, and especially Germany, have been eager to promote since the end of the cold war.
Mr Putin's rapport with Germany has been helped by his command of the language. In four previous summits, images of Mr Putin and Mr Schroeder riding a Russian sled or chatting with each other's wives in the Reichstag also conveyed a sense of German-Russian camaraderie.
Even the debt issue won't ruffle relations this time because Russia has kept to its repayment schedule this year, the German official said. Germany holds nearly half of the about $48bn (£30bn) that Russia owes to the Paris Club of creditor nations, more than any other country.