The governing body of the American Embassy Community Association, which manages those facilities, voted recently to eliminate the associate member category and is no longer accepting any new associate memberships, he said.
"A moratorium has been placed on approving new associate memberships due to the explosive growth of the association", Ohta said.
Both full and associate memberships are up for renewal this month. Current associate members, which number about 400, will be allowed to extend through Dec. 31, he said.
The embassy will review the board's decision and "will consider several proposals", Ohta said. ,
Primary factors in the decision concern a routine State Department inspection of the embassy that began this week and overuse of the facilities at the compound, he said.
Embassy staff will meet with inspectors to examine whether the policies regarding associate memberships are in keeping with U. S. government laws and regulations, Ohta said.
The Moscow embassy is the only one in the world that offers an associate category, a board member said.
The associate membership category was created several years ago partly to increase operating funds for the association and to ease the hardships of
American business representatives and journalists living in Moscow at a time when there were virtually no Western facilities available to foreigners.
Both full and associate members pay the same membership fees, which depend on family size, to use the cafeteria, gymnasium, swimming pool, racquetball courts and video club and to cash checks with the association cashier.
Under the present system, associate members receive a badge that allows them to enter the embassy housing compound without being escorted.
All other Americans must be escorted by a diplomat or an association member.
Rumors about eliminating the associate category altogether have caused controversy among non-diplomats.
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