MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) Talks with Hamas/ Putin restoring Russia's image as an energy supplier/ A proposed end to mayoral elections/ Checks and balances in Chechnya/ The value of Brand Russia/
(RIA Novosti does not accept responsibility for the articles in the press)
Izvestia
Let diplomats talk with Hamas radicals first
It was announced yesterday which Russian politicians would meet with a delegation of Hamas, the radical Islamic group that won the January elections in Palestine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was ready to receive the Palestinian MPs coming to Moscow at the end of the week. Russian experts have said they are happy with the decision.
"The talks with the Hamas delegation will be held in Moscow. I will meet with them," Lavrov said. "Russia will take steps toward fulfilling the decisions of the international quartet of mediators [Russia, the United States, the UN and the European Union]. The Middle Eastern countries favor this approach. The main goal is to ensure the continuity of the peace process based on UN decisions and agreements between Israel and Palestine."
"Let the diplomats talk with Hamas first," said Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Institute of Israel and Middle East Studies. "Holding talks only at the parliamentary level would mean recognizing Hamas as a parliamentary movement."
"Diplomats will discuss only what Russia wants to happen in the Middle East," he said. "We'll see if they take our opinion into account or go their own way."
The researcher said it would be absurd to criticize Russia for interacting with Hamas. "The Islamic movement won elections that were organized by U.S. State Department experts, who were sure they would bring liberals and democrats to power. There is no use talking with the losers now, and it would be silly to pretend that there had been no elections or that Hamas had not won them."
Gazeta.ru
Putin tries to restore Russia's reputation as reliable energy supplier
In an article published by The Wall Street Journal, the Western business community's mouthpiece, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to restore the country's reputation as an energy superpower and Europe's reliable partner. But it is doubtful that the Russian leader's words will ease European concerns following the recent Russian-Ukrainian gas war and the bitterly cold winter season.
Putin suggested that Russia and the West "outline our coordinated policy for the long term" on the threshold of the G8 summit of the world's leading industrial nations in St. Petersburg so as to guarantee fuel-and-energy deliveries and their gradual diversification.
"Russia wants to play the role of mediator for this idea and use the G8 as an instrument to formalize its role," said Andrei Ryabov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. Ryabov said this would facilitate Russia's long-term development as a great energy power, and that Putin's WSJ article attempted to depoliticize the issue as much as possible.
Economists disagree, however. Michael Boboshko, FIM Securities market operations director, said Putin was offering energy market stability to the G8, but such stability was quite expensive, as a barrel of crude oil would cost $50-70 rather than $20-30. But time has shown that the economy can function at such prices.
Putin's lofty statements are not very convincing because Russia has not yet restored its reputation as a reliable gas partner. The conflict between Moscow and Kiev continues. Moreover, some European countries are suspicious of attempts to portray the North European Gas Pipeline as a vitally important project for the whole of Europe.
"There has been no indication that Russia's role as a fuel-and-energy supplier will be changed or expanded," Ryabov said. "However, instability in the Middle East and Moscow's status as a useful partner imply that the G8 will not expel Russia."
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Russian parliament wants to abolish mayors' elections
Following the abolition of governors' elections, the Russian parliament has decided to have a dig at municipal elections. Deputies of the LDPR faction have prepared a bill to reform local self-government following the regional model: mayors are to be elected by local legislatures and endorsed by governors. Opposition figures in parliament and political experts have lashed out the proposal.
"Fervent supporters of the power vertical do not understand that the strength of the state is not in appointing everyone everywhere," said Ivan Melnikov, first deputy chairman of the Communist party's central committee. Sergei Glazyev, co-chairman of the nationalist Rodina (Motherland) faction, recalled that similar ideas had been repeatedly proposed by governors who "wanted to establish full control over their regions."
Alexei Makarkin, the deputy director general of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, said that Russia had recently signed the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which "strictly prohibits making local self-government part of the executive." This norm, however, does not apply to mayors of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as these cities are of federal importance, he said.
If the Russian parliament scraps local self-government, Russian will not longer be considered a European country, the experts said.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan (in 2002) and Mari-El (in 2000) violated the European Charter: their municipal heads were appointed by the republics' presidents.
In January 2005, the Kaluga region legislature, on the initiative of Governor Anatoly Artamonov, adopted a law on electing district and city administrations as proposed by the governor. Governors of the Moscow region Boris Gromov and the Krasnoyarsk territory Alexander Khloponin later revoked their legislative initiatives from the regional parliaments.
Novye Izvestia
Gazeta
System of checks and balances finalized in Chechnya
Chechen President Alu Alkhanov announced Tuesday that Prime Minister Sergei Abramov had submitted his resignation. The official reason was Abramov's health. On November 18 of last year, he was involved in a car accident in Moscow that looked like an assassination attempt. The majority of politicians and experts have said Abramov vacated the position for Ramzan Kadyrov, the acting premier.
On October 5, 2006, Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of Chechnya's first president, will turn 30, thereby becoming eligible to run for president. Sources say he might initiate early presidential elections in the fall.
The system of checks and balances is a favorite political instrument of Russian leaders and has attained its ultimate form in Chechnya. Though Abramov was a weak prime minister, his presence in the Chechen leadership kept the structure of power in the North Caucasus republic vague. When two equally respected people hold power in a Russian region, the system works without fail, but Chechnya is fraught with clan wars. A one-man leadership there would pose less problems for the federal center than ambitious "balances" would.
Sergei Markedonov, director for ethnic relations at the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, said Kadyrov would not have any checks on his personal power. This would be a logical conclusion to "Chechenization," which began with the adoption of the Chechen constitution (part of which contradicts the Russian constitution), the election of Akhmad Kadyrov to the post of president, and parliamentary elections. Ramzan Kadyrov may become the strong leader who will not bow to anyone.
Geidar Dzhemal, chairman of Russia's Islamic Committee, said the federal center did not need any scandals. He added that Abramov's resignation looked bad for Russian policy in Chechnya and would become another argument for Kremlin opponents.
Vedomosti
Brand Russia worth more than GDP
Foreigners still respect Russia for sports and ballet, but the political and economic successes of the last few years virtually do not influence the country's image, according to a survey conducted by British pollster Simon Anholt and Global Market Insite in the United States. They estimated the dollar value of Russia's reputation at $663 billion, or 13% more than the national GDP.
The reputations of 35 industrial and developing countries were assessed using six factors - tourist attractiveness, human resources, the quality of exports, the fairness of national governments, the attractiveness of culture and sports, the national investment climate and the appeal of the country as a long-term residency. The company Brand Finance subsequently calculated their money value.
The survey's authors gave Russia 20th place in the national brand ratings and said that the world considered its citizens to be friendly and amicable, and that the nation had scored impressive results in sports, culture and science.
Anholt also claimed that Russia had come 13th in terms of national brand values, it was certainly not an outcast, and was among the richest countries.
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the Russia in Global Politics magazine, said the international community valued Russia for its traditional qualities, "ideological wealth, cultural, sports and scientific achievements." Lukyanov explained that a country could quickly improve its economic performance, but the more valuable culture, spirituality and intellectual achievements were a long-term goal. However, Lukyanov was surprised to learn that foreigners did not view Russia as a global energy powerhouse because the survey did not heed this factor. "This circumstance increases our capitalization but does not influence Russia's image," Lukyanov told the paper.
