Russia believes in Klaus

Václav Klaus traveled to Moscow on Wed. to meet with Dmitri Medvedev and was given top billing on the state-owned evening news, Channel One and Rossiya. Emphasis was given to the commercial nature of the visit, with much said about Russia's nuclear-power aspirations. Also stressed was Moscow's view that a new universal security framework is needed for Europe. Medvedev said that not all security problems can be resolved within the existing structures - the EU, Nato, OECD, CIS, and CSTO. The Russian media gave the clear impression, whether true or not, that Klaus is on the same wavelength as Moscow both commercially and politically. RBK Daily summed it up by saying that "Russia believes in Klaus," because he's more willing than other Europeans to listen to Moscow's initiatives. So far, Klaus has not complained of there being any fundamental misunderstanding. [Czech Republic European Union Commonwealth of Independent States Collective Security Treaty Organization]