PUTIN WRITES OFF DEBTS OF AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Izvestia, July 17, 2003, p. 3 EV
President Vladimir Putin has signed a directive to take extra measures to improve the financial state of the agricultural sector. The measures include writing off unpaid interest and fines that have been accumulated over the past few years. According to a statement made by Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev, the amount of “unjust” penalty fees accumulated by some 18,000 farm enterprises over the past few years will be cut by 57 billion rubles. It was these debts that made the agricultural sector come down with what the deputy prime minister called “very bad financial pneumonia”. Writing-off default interests and fines will make it possible not only to relieve the balances of agricultural operators of their liabilities but also raise the morale of farm workers. Apart from that, investors will be more encouraged to enter this sector, Gordeyev believes.
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION IN INGUSHETIA
Izvestia, July 17, 2003, p. 3 EV
Human Rights Watch claims that Russian military forces conduct special operations in the Republic of Ingushetia which involve violation of human rights. The situation in Ingushetia has changed sharply this summer. In June alone a number of operations were conducted in the republic, which director of the Human Rights Watch office in Moscow Anna Neistat called cleansings like those in Chechnya. Neistat declared that Russian military forces carry out raids in Ingushetia on places densely populated with Chechen refugees and Ingush settlements. In her words, federal forces stationed in Chechnya and forces subject to head of the Chechen administration Akhmad Kadyrov are responsible for the raids in Ingushetia.
TBILISI DEMANDS APPLICATION OF FORCE IN ABKHAZIA
Izvestia, July 17, 2003, p. 3 EV
At its extraordinary session which took place yesterday the Parliament of Georgia passed a decree binding the government to submit a demand to the UN Security Council to apply the provisions of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. The above mentioned chapter provides for actions against parties to conflicts who fail to fulfill the decision of the international community. The Georgian parliament urged the government to take efficient measures to change the format and the international scope of the peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia. The parliament obliged the government to examine closely all normative acts with regard to Abkhazia. It is said in the statement issued by the Georgian Parliament that “the process of peaceful resolution of the Abkhaz conflict must be continued until all possible resources for that are exhausted”.
CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION APPROVES "REFERENCE LIST" FOR POLITICAL PARTIES
Izvestia, July 17, 2003, p. 3 EV
The Central Election Commission of Russia has approved the list and format of documents that representatives of election blocs, political parties and prospective candidates must submit to election commission of different levels. This was done upon requests of political parties, this list being a sort of “reference” for the latter. Both the list and appendixes are quite bulky documents: one has 30 pages, the other 58. From now on, not only the first three candidates on parties’ slates will have to unveil information concerning their incomes and properties. All the candidates included on a party’s electoral list, as soon as they are put up, will have to do this as well. Under the new legislation, invalid data cannot be a sufficient reason for refusing registration to a candidates but voters will be notified of unscrupulousness and draw respective conclusions.
STEPASHIN STANDS FOR ADEQUATE REEVALUATION OF NATIONAL WEALTH
Izvestia, July 17, 2003, p. 3 EV
Reevaluation of the national health and a perceptible growth of capitalization of Russian businesses may facilitate Russia’ becoming one of the world’s centers exerting real economic influence, says Auditing Commission chairman Sergei Stepashin. “At the moment quite a number of elements constituting the national wealth do not generate a new cost and those involved in economic activities do not have adequate market value,” Mr. Stepashin says. “Consequently, the West regards Russia as a country with great but insufficiently used potential.” Stepashin supposes that sound reevaluation of the national wealth will favorably change the opinion of both overseas governments and investors about Russia and suggest new topics for discussion within the framework of the G-8.
RUSSIAN CITIZENS TO BE REMINDED OF THEIR DUTIES
Argumenty i Fakty, July 16, 2003, p. 9
The Russian Constitution, which has remained intact for the past ten years, may undergo some changes. This idea is basically promoted by the People’s Party, which believes that Russia’s Constitution is one of the most liberal in the world, says a lot about rights of citizens and nothing about their duties. People’s Party leader Gennadi Raikov says this seems to have a negative influence on the citizenry.
Having examined constitutions of some other countries, representatives of the party concluded that Russia is a unique country. What made them wonder even more is that the present Constitution does not say anything about solidarity, public welfare, or public duty. Morals are mentioned only once as a possible reason for restricting rights and liberties.
Raikov said: “We are confident that people themselves ought to refrain from abusing liberties and rights, and see that the latter are always are observed, for the sake of public welfare.”
