Although Russia and the USA are claiming great friendship, this amity does not extend far enough for Russia to accept American knowhow, assistance in working towards becoming a democracy, a westernized nation. This was demonstrated on December 27th, when Moscow officially informed Washington of its intention to withdraw from the agreement on Peace Corps activities on Russian territory.

According to RIA-Novosti, the decision was prompted by the fact that since the moment of the agreement signing in 1992 the situation in Russia has drastically changed. Russia's need to cooperate with the Peace Corps has decreased noticeably. So Russia claims. There is also the question of keeping (saving?) face, as according to article 9 of the agreement, the activities of the Peace Corps are aimed first of all at the third-world countries. This was critical in making the Russian decision, emphasized the insiders who leaked the news.

In 2002, Russia declined to extend visas for 30 members of the American organisation "Peace Corps", Director of Russian Federal Security Service
/FSB/ Nikolai Patrushev disclosed at a meeting with representatives of Russian leading media organisations in the middle of December.

According to Patrushev, American volunteers were refused to enter Russia after it had been established that they "were collecting information about
the social-politic and economic situation in Russian regions, about members of authoritative bodies, course of elections, etc." Thus, former Head of the Far Eastern Peace Corps Department Valerie Eban violated the
border-crossing regime by penetrating a closed area on the border with China, Patrushev said.

"Peace Corps volunteer, former CIA agent Brown, who in the 1970s recruitedmilitary servicemen in Berlin, was establishing in Samara contacts with representatives of the local authorities and leadership of the major defence enterprises," the FSB Director stressed. According to him, the above-mentioned persons had to leave Russia before their terms of stay expired.

The American Humanitarian Peace Corps has been operating on Russian territory since 1992. At the present moment approximately 200 American
volunteers work in 30 various regions of Russia.
As a final note - the Peace Corps in early 2002 concluded operations in the Baltics, where their assistance, support and good will was gratefully accepted and recognized.

(TN, with files from RIA-Novosti)

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