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Followup-to: biz.clarinet.sample
Subject: Government and parliamentary leaders meet to stave off crisis
Keywords: international, non-usa government, government, politics,
	government officials, non-usa economies, economy
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 10:16:26 PDT
Location: soviet union
ACategory: international
Slugword: russia-government
Priority: regular
Format: regular
ANPA: Wc: 797; Id: z3234; Sel: xxigf; Adate: 4-12-120ped
Codes: yigfrxx., yip.rsu., yigorsu., yiefrsu.

	MOSCOW (UPI) -- The Russian government has threatened to resign unless
the Congress reconsiders its decision to deprive President Boris Yeltsin
of his emergency powers to direct reforms.
	Ministers met with parliamentary leaders Sunday afternoon in a bid to
resolve a political crisis caused by the Congress' demand for big
changes in the government's economic reform plan, and its decision to
take away Yeltsin's special emergency powers to direct reforms without
legislative interference.
	The goverment's request to reconsider was to be presented to the
Congress Monday.
	Deputy Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, an architect of Russia's ``shock
therapy'' economic reforms, described the talks between cabinet members
and the parliamentary Presidium as ``completely constructive.''
	``We have realistically assessed the situation and agreed to
coordinate our actions so as not to paralyze the process of carrying out
the reforms,'' he told the Russian news agency Interfax.
	``We are all trying to achieve the same thing and we have no right to
confront each other,'' said the deputy chairman of parliament, Sergei
Filatov.
	There was ``some rapprochement'' between the two sides during the
talks, he said.
	However, it seems unlikely ministers can persuade the 1,046-member
Sixth Congress of Russian People's Deputies, a largely conservative body
elected two years ago when the Communists still controlled the country,
to change the resolution it adopted on the government's economic
reforms.
	During Saturday's session the Congress severely amended a draft
resolution proposed by the parliament's editorial committee, and
rejected one of Yeltsin's suggested amendments requesting permission to
retain his special powers and combine the posts of President and Prime
Minister until December.
	Instead, deputies adopted a compromise formula allowing the President
to head the government and to retain the right to issue laws and appoint
ministers, powers granted him at the Fifth Congress last fall, for
another three months.
	By July, Yeltsin must submit to parliament a draft Government Law --
which will inevitably mean changes to the present cabinet -- and get
parliamentary approval for his choice of prime minister and cabinet
members.
	The final version of Congress' resolution delivers a sharp rebuke to
the government, describing the economic reform as ``unsatisfactory'' in
terms of social welfare, tax, finance, credit, investment, industrial
and agricultural policy.
	It demands Yeltsin make ``substantial amendments to the tactics and
methods of carrying out reforms, taking into consideration the remarks
and proposals put forward at the Congress.''
	Amendments called on the government to raise health and education
workers' salaries, index personal savings to inflation, increase social
welfare, and reverse its decision to liberalize prices for fuel and
energy resources.
	But no one knows where the money for these policy changes will come
from. Gaidar, whose attempts to balance the Russian budget and
strengthen the ruble have led to massive cuts in government
expenditures, warned Congress attempts to increase spending will lead to
``a collapse of the economy.''
	Yeltsin's team of young reformers quit the Grand Kremlin Palace when
the resolution was adopted, striding out onto Red Square to address a
rally of democrats concerned at the threat Congress posed to the
government's survival.
	Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Shokhin addressed the crowd, saying:
``We would like the sacrifices the nation is making in the name of
reform not to be in vain.''
	``We will defend this course (of reform) to the end, because we
believe that if we act decisively, we will achieve victory,'' Shokhin
said, as reported by the official news agency Itar-Tass.
	Gaidar told Itar-Tass Saturday night that the government was
considering resigning as a result of the resolution, and called the
resolution ``a complete revision of the course of economic reform.''
	``Today is a very grave day for the fate of reform in Russia,''
Gaidar added. ``It is a return to the policy of indulging particular
social groups, which will tear the ever-decreasing social ''pie`` into
bits.''
	Ministers also warned that a substantial change in economic policy
might jeopardize the massive aid recently approved by the International
Monetary Fund in acknowledgement of the success of Russia's reforms.
	``The world community's provision of $24 billion to support the
reforms now hangs on a thread,'' Alexander Shokhin told reporters,
adding it was obvious that ``with such political pressure on a reform
government it is very difficult, if not impossible, to implement these
reforms.''
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