Terror War Testing U.S.-Russia Ties

U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow on Wednesday praised Russia's contribution to the international fight against terrorism and said President Vladimir Putin's quick support for the United States after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks likely came as a shock to those who planned the carnage.
Putin, who was the first foreign leader to talk by telephone to U.S. President George W. Bush after the attacks, called him again on the attacks' first anniversary, saying "I want to reiterate my condolences and express not only the sympathy but also the support of the whole Russian people to Americans."
Vershbow said that in the year between those two calls, Putin "has demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow and the strength of his support."
Relations between Washington and Moscow a year ago were troubled over issues including U.S. plans to build a national missile defense system and terrorists may have hoped the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon would drive a wedge between the countries.
But Putin became a key U.S. ally in the military operation in Afghanistan, opening Russian airspace for U.S. humanitarian flights, sharing intelligence and raising no objections to the stationing of U.S. troops in some of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia.
"Russia and the U.S. persuasively demonstrated to the entire world the ability to build constructive and predictable ties based on common values and respect for each other's national interests," Putin said in a message to Bush, released Wednesday night.
Vershbow on Wednesday attended the opening of a photo exhibit on Sept. 11 at the State Library for Foreign Literature that includes more than the familiar images of shattered buildings and fleeing crowds. One section of the two-floor exhibit focuses on how Russians reacted - placing layers of bouquets at the American Embassy, holding signs expressing shocked condolences.
"The Russian reaction really was remarkable," Vershbow said.
In a ceremony opening the exhibit, he singled out Yuri Kirilchenko, senior New York City correspondent for the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass, who rushed to the World Trade Center and helped get people out of the buildings. Vershbow gave him a letter from Secretary of State Colin Powell thanking him for his actions.
Kirilchenko appeared inclined to play down his image as a hero. "Well, what can you do? Life is rich in surprises," he told the crowd of about 100.
In Russia's parliament, the State Duma, lawmakers observed a minute of silence on their first day back at work after their summer recess.
At the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Marine guards lowed the American flag to half-staff Wednesday morning and visitors laid flowers outside the main building as the Star-Spangled Banner was broadcast over a loudspeaker. Embassy security officers scanned the heaps of flowers with metal detectors.
Meanwhile, hundreds attended a memorial service at St. Petersburg's Kazan Cathedral and visited the U.S. Consulate to sign a condolence book.
"I feel sorry for America," said Misha Ushakov, 8, who came to sign the book with his nanny. "We should take the people who did that by the collar and throw them somewhere far away ... somewhere in outer space so that we would never see them again."
Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov ordered heightened security around public places and defense facilities on Wednesday, the Interfax news agency reported. Airlines and airports were also taking extra security precautions, Russians new agencies said.
Despite the unexpected improvement in U.S.-Russian relations after the Sept. 11 attacks, tension has risen again over the U.S. push for action against the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
A public opinion poll released by the ROMIR organization on Wednesday showed 62 percent of the respondents firmly opposed to military action against Iraq.
The poll, which surveyed 500 Muscovites this month, also found that 6.4 percent of the respondents believed the attacks in New York and Washington were the work of American agents.