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By Jason Jackson

MOSCOW, June 6, 2000 -- President Clinton's interview with one of Russian president Vladimir Putin's most raucous critics risks straining relations between the United States and Russia, Russian officials said yesterday.

Appearing on the independent radio station Ekho Moskviy ("Echo of Moscow"), Clinton praised the United States for its support of free press. Ekho Moskviy frequently accuses Putin of expelling journalists who oppose his views.

"We think that democracy is more stable and people are more free when the press is free," Clinton said. "And we trust the people to understand if the press is either false or unfair."

"If you think it's not free enough here, then what I would urge you to do is to look at the example of America," Clinton added. "Read the 200-year history of our country and just work on the issues as they come up. Just keep pushing for more -- a broader and broader and broader interpretation of freedom of the press."

Clinton, who also called a free press "an instrument of stability," said he and Putin discussed freedom of the press in Russia.

"President Putin said that without civil society and free press, the Russian democracy couldn't go on," Clinton said. "I think that's a wise statement."

Russian officials complained to American diplomats that Clinton's comments risk insulting Putin. However, a White House spokesman said Clinton's remarks could improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"President Clinton's interview with Ekho Moskviy, like his previous interview with Shanghai Radio in China and others, was an opportunity to reach out directly to the Russian people and express support for the independent media in Russia," said Megan Moloney, the director of radio services for the White House press office. Moloney added that listener response to the interview was "overwhelmingly positive."

Ekho Moskviy reaches 85 major Russian cities and more than 50 million people, according to Moloney.

Originally published on RadioDigest.com.

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