U.S. President Bill Clinton and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who paid a one-day working visit to the United States, discussed on Thursday the situation in Russia, ways of rendering economic assistance to it, the Kosovo problem and the forthcoming NATO summit. After the end of the meeting, which lasted for about two hours at the White House, Chancellor Schroeder said that both the United States and Germany were very much interested in the stabilisation of the situation in Russia. The two leaders focused their attention on economic problems. They discussed the forthcoming meeting of the "big eight," stressing the importance of the "development of global financial architecture, which will help us wage the struggle against machinations all over the world." They both pointed to the identity of their stands on the items, included in the agenda of the forthcoming NATO summit. According to Schroeder, the exchange of views on the Kosovo problem also revealed the similarity of their views. Speaking about Russia, Schroeder stressed that both the United States and Germany were interested in the stabilisation of the situation there, and that they are ready to support the reform, which is being implemented in Russia. He stressed, at the same time, that support should by no means be a one-way traffic, and on this point the U.S. and Germany also reached agreement. They believe that, responding to their support for its stabilisation, Russia will exert efforts aimed at speeding up the reform. Schroeder said it was very important now to stabilise the situation of Primakov, because this will help stabilise the situation in Russia. White House spokesman Antony Blinken, who is a senior official of the National Security Council, said, in his turn, that the United State was paying special attention to the rendering of assistance to the reform process in Russia. Responding to questions of journalists at the press conference, held at the Willard Hotel of Washington, Schroeder sa ... Read more