Like It or Not, Lebed’s Going to U.S. Inaugural

MOSCOW —  He’s not exactly gate-crashing, but Alexander I. Lebed, the retired Russian paratroop general, is still likely to throw White House protocol into convulsions at President Clinton’s upcoming inauguration.

Lebed, the brash and ambitious former national security chief who is now trying to elbow out Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, has wangled an invitation to the core celebrations of the American Inauguration Day and has been flaunting his inclusion as the highest social honor.

With Yeltsin hospitalized with double pneumonia and hounded by calls to step down, Lebed’s plans to attend the Washington festivities are sending an unintended signal to Russian voters that has the Clinton administration in a diplomatic dither.

“Gen. Alexander Lebed has not been invited to President Bill Clinton’s inauguration on Jan. 20 by the White House or by the U.S. inaugural committee,” insisted U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Hoagland, noting that the only Russian dignitary officially invited is the ambassador to Washington, Yuli M. Vorontsov.

But with 57,000 invitations to the key events in circulation--even Ticketmaster has acquired a block for public sale--Lebed has, indeed, secured a place for himself in the fanfare.

Hoagland said the Presidential Inaugural Committee distributes tickets to Congress and that administration officials “understand that Gen. Lebed has received several tickets from a congressional office and that he hopes to attend the swearing-in ceremony as a private citizen.”

The independent NTV channel opened its evening newscast here with the announcement of “a new scandal in international politics.” Making clear that hundreds of thousands will be watching the Inauguration Day parade and celebrating on the National Mall in Washington, an NTV newsman suggested that Lebed was exaggerating the significance of his inclusion.

But Lebed, never one to let a public relations boost drop, insisted that he had been personally invited by Clinton.

“I have information that I am invited by the president and that there is an invitation waiting for me in Washington,” Lebed told the network by telephone from Germany, where he is on an alliance-seeking visit.

“Perhaps some internal maneuvers are also underway related to the friendship between the Russian and American presidents,” he said. “The main thing is that I was invited for the ceremony, and I will be there.”

Yeltsin and Clinton have enjoyed a close relationship as heads of state; White House officials have kept the cocky Lebed at arm’s length.

But Lebed’s presence at the festivities is likely to draw at least Russian media attention and could further elevate his standing among voters he is trying to impress with his bid for the role of Kremlin heir apparent. Lebed told journalists this week that he expects to succeed Yeltsin before the end of the year.