Russian Sympathy for America High

MOSCOW (AP) - Sympathy for America is running high in Russia, where terrorism has touched the lives of thousands in recent years. But left open is the question of how much the Kremlin can do to help Washington fight terrorism.

Top Russian officials said their country, where one in seven is Muslim, was unlikely to risk unrest by taking part in any U.S. strikes against those held responsible for the attacks. They also dismissed suggestions that former Soviet territory in Central Asia could be used as bases for reprisals.

Still, Russia can offer intelligence information, as well as political and diplomatic support. It can also provide extensive knowledge about Afghanistan gained during the 1980s war lost by the Soviet Union in that rugged land, now home to No. 1 suspect Osama bin Laden.

``The most important support Russia can offer the United States is the creation of organizations which can coordinate the work of the intelligence services of different countries against terrorism to prevent attacks,'' said Mikhail Kreimer, a Russian military expert.

``Russia has very good sources of information,'' said Kreimer, who heads the Collegium of Military Experts, an independent think tank in Moscow. ``Terrorism is a problem that directly affects our country.''

The memory of terrorist bombings in 1999 that killed more than 300 people in Moscow and other cities underlies the deep outpouring of sympathy for America after Tuesday's attacks.

``We talked a lot about the threat of terrorism, but apparently we didn't find the words that would have persuaded the world community to create an effective defense against international terrorism,'' President Vladimir Putin said in a speech Saturday in Armenia.

``The main lesson that (we) should draw from this tragedy is the need to strengthen our own and international security,'' Putin said.

But senior Russian officials stressed that diplomacy, political support for the United States and intelligence is where Russia's help must stop.

About one of every seven Russians is a Muslim. Any blatant support for a Western military campaign against Islamic militants could leave Russia vulnerable to reprisals and unrest in its own territory.

Even without that factor, the Kremlin has limited financial resources and its military is poorly equipped and trained.

And Russia doesn't have a good record fighting homegrown terrorism. Dozens of plane and bus hijackings, bombings and kidnappings have taken place in Russia in recent years, and most have gone unpunished.

All of Russia's discussions of joint action with the five former Soviet states in Central Asia to fight terrorism have been little more than talk.

The Kremlin would be wary of U.S. forces using the Central Asian republics as a staging ground for attacks on Afghanistan, and since those countries rely on Russia for major economic support, none would likely agree to such operations without Moscow's approval.

Among Russia's concerns would be the likelihood that the presence of Western troops in Central Asia would bring new uprisings by Islamic rebels and destabilize its neighbors. Islamic rebels almost took over Tajikistan in the 1990s and insurgents waged war against the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 1999 and 2000.

Russian sympathy for a stricken United States has taken the edge off the argument over U.S. plans for a missile defense system. But Washington's new focus is allowing Russia to reinforce its argument that terrorism is a more serious security threat than a potential nuclear attack.

``The consequences of the events (Tuesday) show us that neither nuclear weapons nor the threat of missile attacks from so-called rogue states are the priorities,'' Gen. Semyon Zolotaryov wrote in the weekly military supplement to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

Kreimer, the analyst, thinks the terror attacks will weaken interest in missile defense.

``Missile defense doesn't help in the fight against terrorism and now we have to focus on that,'' he said. ``Missile defense has now gone backstage.''