...Russian role in conflicts sought

VLADIVOSTOK— Alarmed by a rise in nationalist sentiment around the Asia-Pacific, the Obama administration is looking for Russia to play a greater role in the region as it seeks to quell growing maritime tensions.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was to meet on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at meeting of Pacific Rim leaders to gauge Moscow’s intentions as it looks increasingly eastward after decades of European orientation. US officials say they would welcome a more active Russian role in the Asia-Pacific where territo- rial disputes, including between US allies Japan and South Korea, sparked by nationalist rhetoric have fueled fears of conflict.

A senior US official traveling with Clinton said Russia’s engagement in the region has until now been “episodic,” not very active and primarily focused on the six-nation effort to get North Korea to give up nuclear weapons.

Now, with Putin actively promoting Russian greater economic and strategic ties with Asia and hosting the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in much spruced up Vladivostok, Clinton is eager to hear what his “goals and ambitions” are and how they might complement US efforts, particularly in easing strains that could interfere with oceangoing commerce in the Pacific, the official said.

The official said the US wanted to see more “sustained” Russian interest in the Asia-Pacific.

Clinton began Saturday by signing an agreement with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that will enhance USRussia scientific cooperation in the Antarctic, as well as link national parks on either side of the Bering Strait.

With Lavrov, she also stressed the importance of dealing with the ongoing crisis in Syria, where Russia, along with China, has blocked UN action that would penalize the Syrian regime for refusing to allow a political transition, a second US official said. The pair also discussed efforts to get Iran to comply with international demands to prove its nuclear program is peaceful, North Korea and boosting trade between the US and Russia, the official said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the talks.