Vremya Novostei
Vladimir Putin has signed a decree endorsing the list of strategic enterprises and joint stock companies that cannot be privatised by a government decision.
This, however, does not mean that a company from the list cannot be privatised. The decree may sanction the sale of any enterprise on the list. Apparently, this increases the Kremlin's role in selling every important state property.
When commenting on the news for the newspaper, Arkady Dvorkovich, head of the presidential expert department, pointed out that companies were not included on the list for good. "Moreover, a significant part of them are to be sold," he said. "But the issue of potential sale of strategically important enterprises should be discussed not only in the government, but also in the presidential administration and the Security Council".
Rossiyskaya Gazeta
The newspaper asked experts to comment on the results of the political autumn 2003 - spring 2004 season, which ended with the first moves of the new government and State Duma following the parliamentary and presidential elections.
Valery Khomyakov, general director of the National Strategy Council, points out that the general political situation in the country remained stable during the period. As to political parties, the Communists are on the brink of a final split, Yabloko is looking for its identity at pickets and rallies, and the Union of Right Forces still cannot choose a leader.
All the analysts agree that the political season was dominated by the federal elections and lacked any sensations. The results of the election season influenced Russia's multi-party system, points out Georgy Satarov, president of the INDEM foundation. However, there is no need to over-dramatise the situation because of the right-wing parties' defeat, the Communists' relative failure and the subsequent confrontations on the right and left wings. The hard blow will be for their own good; after all, people usually learn from their own mistakes.
Kommersant
Yesterday the Russian State Duma adopted a statement on the situation in the Caucasus. During the debates, some deputies proposed sending Russian troops to Georgia and imposing economic sanctions. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin said the situation was to be settled "politically".
The deputies were especially outraged by the Georgian president's order to open fire and sink all ships near the Abkhazian coast. However, during the debates they could not understand what exactly Russia was ready to do if Georgia did violate international legislation, Kommersant reports.
Mr Loshchinin described the situation in Georgia as "completely unfavourable", and responded to deputies' exhortations and questions concerning Russia's response by saying that Russia was carrying out a consistent policy in an effort to resolve the conflict peacefully.
In response to the proposal of some deputies to impose economic sanctions on Georgia, he said, "All possible sanctions on our part will be a call to war. We cannot allow this to happen. We should not fall for Georgia's provocation".
Vedomosti
In 2006, the supreme authorities will hold government officials accountable for what they really do to raise the living standards, develop business and improve the country's economy, Vedomosti writes.
The work of ten ministries (excluding the five subordinated to the president) is to be assessed by 58 factors, including life expectancy, per capita GDP, the share of innovations in industrial exports. Funding will depend on the goals achieved.
The presidential administration has no doubts that Vladimir Putin will support the initiative, put forward by a committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, which is to define which quantitative criteria federal ministries are to use in their reports.
