Clinton Meets With Yeltsin, Offers Russia $1 Billion in Aid : Summit: President pledges to mobilize world support for Moscow, the way U.S. assembled allies before Gulf War. Talks continue today.

VANCOUVER, Canada — President Clinton on Saturday offered a $1-billion aid package to Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin and vowed to mobilize world support for more assistance as the two leaders began the first U.S.-Russian summit ever to have no significant arms control issue on its agenda.

The American aid package, which also includes proposed assistance for Ukraine and other parts of the former Soviet Union, was designed as much to help the beleaguered Kremlin leader weather a potentially disastrous political storm as to shore up the shattered Russian economy, Clinton Administration officials acknowledged.

Yeltsin himself, referring to his precarious political position, warned that his old Communist foes are seeking revenge against him and threatening “to take us back to the past.” But he declared that as long as he is in power, Russia will remain on the course of economic and democratic reform.

The two leaders’ comments reflected the extraordinary stakes and high drama that lay beneath the serene surface of an event wrapped in traditional ceremonies and staged this time against the scenic backdrop of this North Pacific port.

For Yeltsin, the summit represented nothing less than a desperate struggle for political survival--for himself and quite possibly, American officials said, for the democratic reforms he has come to personify.

For the youthful American President, the Vancouver summit represented his first turn on the stage as leader of what remains the world’s only superpower. And he was clearly aware that his performance--for better or worse--would leave an indelible impression on both his fellow countrymen and world leaders.

The opening day embraced arrival ceremonies, one-on-one sessions with only translators and note-takers present, a lunch, dinner in an elegant restaurant and even a stroll in the woods. The summit will conclude today with further meetings and the now traditional joint news conference.

The initial summit sessions were “very good” and Clinton “was very pleased by the atmosphere of openness and candor,” according to George Stephanopoulos, White House communications director. Clinton “just has a great personal feeling for President Yeltsin,” he said. The President “likes Yeltsin, he’s a fighter. He likes that . . . he’s not deterred by long odds.”

Although the Communists failed in their attempt to impeach Yeltsin, they continue to be formidable foes, and when reporters here asked Clinton whether the Russian president faced any risk in coming to the summit, he said: “I hope not.”

Since the first U.S.-Soviet summit was held in September, 1959, between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev, control of nuclear weapons and the avoidance of another world war have dominated each of the 25 superpower summits.

But with the breakup of the Soviet empire and the emergence of Russia as an independent state, those issues have faded. Though some national security issues will be discussed today, the Vancouver summit is focusing almost entirely on Russia’s economic and political problems.

In his weekly radio address to the nation Saturday, Clinton pointed out that Russia, although no longer a superpower in the American mold, still holds more than 20,000 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads; it is necessary, he said, to continue implementing historic arms control agreements to reduce the level of the nuclear weapons.

The United States, he said, spent more than $4 trillion to wage the Cold War and can now “reduce that spending because the arms and the armies of the former Soviet Union pose a greatly reduced threat to us and to our allies.”

If Russia were to revert to its old ways or plunge into chaos, he said, America would need to reassess its plans for defense savings and that could jeopardize the U.S. economy.

Clinton--who must win congressional approval for his assistance proposals--predicted a strong build-up of international support for Russian aid over the next several weeks. He said it is important that the efforts be designed to support economic and democratic reform that will not only benefit Russians but help the security of the contributing nations.

“I want America to act, but America cannot and should not act alone,” Clinton declared. “Just as we mobilized the world on behalf of war in the Gulf, we must now mobilize the world on behalf of peace and reform in Russia.”

The United States is pressing for more economic aid by the other Group of Seven industrialized nations--Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan--and the issue will be discussed at a meeting of officials of these nations in Tokyo on April 14-15. Further action is expected when the heads of state meet at the annual economic summit in Tokyo in early July.

Clinton told Yeltsin that he had conferred with Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa by telephone Friday night and that Miyazawa assured him he will play a constructive role in the talks on Russian aid. Miyazawa’s support was considered crucial in the effort to secure solid support for Russia among the industrialized nations. American officials said Yeltsin was pleased by Clinton’s assurance.

In Clinton’s first major role on the international stage, the 46-year-old President told reporters: “I don’t feel under any pressure. I’m glad that this day has arrived. I welcome the chance that the United States has to support the millions of courageous people in Russia who have stood up for democracy and have had the courage to go through some very difficult times. . . .”

The 62-year-old Yeltsin, who upon meeting Clinton last year during the presidential campaign exclaimed, “Oh, how young you are,” apparently quickly established a good rapport with him at the summit.

The Russian was “getting along with him like a house afire,” said Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who attended a lunch with the two leaders.

The discussion at the meal, at the Norman MacKenzie House at the University of British Columbia, focused largely on Yeltsin’s political situation and his evaluation of his chances of victory in the Russian referendum, scheduled for April 25, Mulroney said.

Yeltsin, who like Clinton thrives on politics, indicated he would be “barnstorming all the way till the 25th of April,” Mulroney said. Yeltsin apparently had given great thought to the matter and gave an analysis of what percentage of the vote it would take for him to survive the referendum. While Yeltsin’s analysis was not disclosed, Russian experts in the American government say they believe that Yeltsin will survive politically if at least 55% of Russian voters turn out and he polls at least 55% of the vote.

While the overall tone of the meetings was described as positive, Yeltsin raised what he called three “irritants” in the U.S.-Russia relationship. He cited continuing frustration with the United States over the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a 1970s law that restricted the then-Soviet Union’s trading status because of its policy limiting Jewish emigration.

Yeltsin also complained about limits on exports of high-technology items to Russia, saying the rules were obsolete relics of the Cold War. And he cited last month’s undersea collision of American and Russian submarines in the Barents Sea.

Stephanopoulos said Clinton “expressed regrets” over the submarine incident.

Clinton and Yeltsin ended the day with a three-hour working dinner at a restaurant overlooking the city from Queen Elizabeth Park. There they paused for a photo opportunity, and Yeltsin was asked whether he had heard what he had wanted from Clinton. Looking firmly at the questioner, he replied, with emphasis, “I heard more than what I expected.”

He noted that, on his way to the summit, he had told a crowd in a Siberian town, that he and Clinton would “discuss 25 issues today. And we’ve already discussed 30 and will discuss at least another 10,” he said.

As for Clinton, when asked about the substance of his talks with Yeltsin, he said they had a “great visit--we talked about 30 minutes longer than we were supposed to.”

A few minutes later, the two men joined about 20 other officials in a dining room. The American party included Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, special envoy to Russia Strobe Talbott and National Security Adviser Anthony Lake.

The chef, John Bishop, reported that Yeltsin did not eat much but that Clinton showed his customary zeal for the meal. “There was not a morsel left,” he said.

Robert S. Strauss, who served as ambassador to Russia in the George Bush Administration, recalled that Bush and Yeltsin “got along exceedingly well” and said he believes Clinton is quickly developing a similar relationship.

Strauss, in Vancouver as a Cable News Network analyst for the summit, praised Clinton and his Administration for the way they have supported Yeltsin and the Russian reform program. He said Clinton probably would rather be in Washington taking care of domestic problems but realizes the stakes in U.S.-Russian relations are so large it is “a responsibility he cannot duck.”

Even as he sought to help Yeltsin politically, Clinton faced political problems in Washington, where Republicans continued to block his $16.3-billion jobs-creation legislation. Democrats failed Saturday for a second day to end a Republican filibuster against the measure; there were signs that Clinton, who was being kept abreast of developments, might compromise to break the deadlock.

Sen. John B. Breaux (D-La.), a Clinton friend but a conservative who has been seeking to moderate the jobs bill, said he had been in touch with White House officials and believes they are “now willing to listen to compromise proposals.”

Today’s Schedule

(Pacific Daylight Time)

10:40 a.m. Clinton and Yeltsin hold second meeting, at downtown Pan Pacific Hotel.

1:30 p.m. Summit concludes with joint news conference, at Vancouver Trade and Convention Center.

TV TIPS

A summary of the weekend’s agreements is expected at today’s joint news conference at 1:30.

CNN and C-SPAN plan live coverage. A C-SPAN hot line details today’s coverage: (202) 628-2205.

The networks will base their evening newscasts in Vancouver but have not scheduled other coverage.