MOSKOVSKY KOMSOMOLETS
Kremlin to end farcical administrative reform
It appears as though the Kremlin's ill-conceived Western-style administrative reform has flopped.
The "agony" of administrative reform began several months ago when a group of ministers asked President Vladimir Putin to abolish the three-tier administrative system that was introduced in the spring of 2004 outlining the interaction between ministries, agencies, and federal services. The Russian leader appointed two deputy prime ministers earlier this week without even mentioning the administrative reform.
The half-baked administrative reform concept proved ineffective because it did not reflect Russian realities. Dmitry Kozak, who headed the government administration, was a staunch advocate of the reform. He planned to rectify the situation after finding out that many aspects of the reform did not work. Consequently, the reform had a small chance.
However, Kozak was appointed presidential envoy to the North Caucasus after the September 2004 Beslan hostage crisis. Administrative reform, therefore, became a hopeless project because Kozak was the only senior White House official promoting it. Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov never supported the reform. His deputy, Alexander Zhukov, astonished everyone with his complete lack of initiative. Sergei Naryshkin, a former secret service operative from St. Petersburg, replaced Kozak and was ordered to oversee the administrative reform. But Naryshkin, who is described by cabinet officials as an extremely courteous and charming man, never disobeys the Kremlin's orders.
True, Russia's administrative system is in need of an overhaul. The Kremlin seems to have decided to solve the problems in a single move without addressing the ineffective administrative machinery.
IZVESTIA
Putin reinforces political bloc of government
Politicians and analysts have pronounced Dmitry Medvedev the president's heir apparent and Sergei Ivanov his stand-in. But to what extent is this true? Putin's aim is to boost the professionalism of his government and administration. The president is addressing two key problems: the weakness (or lack) of the political component in the government and uncoordinated regional policy.
An heir apparent and a stand-in are never named simultaneously. Besides, with the 2008 elections still far off, a more likely explanation for the government reshuffle is the recasting of executive functions rather than succession considerations.
The administrative reform has transformed the government into a purely economic institution. The cabinet has found itself short of top-ranking administrators. As a result, the presidential administration has to increasingly tackle issues of the country's political development.
One can begin to speak of succession only after Medvedev and Ivanov's managerial experience and administrative independence have made the government more effective.
The shake-up of the presidential administration is due, above all, to the need to change regional policy. The issues to be addressed by the new head of the Kremlin administration, Sergei Sobyanin, will be the difficult situation in the North Caucasus, the low level of living standards in some regions, and anti-federal trends.
VEDOMOSTI
A stronger Russia could make territorial concessions to Japan
The settlement of a territorial problem with China came as a surprise last year. The conflict over the Kuril Islands may be raised during President Putin's visit to Japan this week. Will a solution to this territorial dispute be found in the near future?
Dr. Yakov Berger, the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, the Russian Academy of Sciences:
We want quick results. Our eastern neighbors are very skilled at putting us under pressure and waiting patiently. The negotiations over the Kuril Islands may drag out for decades. We must not make a fuss here. I believe the problem will be settled through negotiations. Everything depends on the situation in Russia. We will not cede the islands while we are weak because that will undermine the country's prestige. And Japan will never meet us halfway. As soon as Russia gets stronger, it may make concessions. Strong countries can afford to make concessions.
Stanislav Tkachenko, head of international department for St. Petersburg State University:
Negotiations over the Kuril Islands cannot end in a satisfactory way simply because this is absolutely impossible. I think the negotiations will be drawn out indefinitely. Within two or three generations, the issue will become less acute. As a result, the Kuril Islands will remain Russian.
Boris Shmelev, head of the Center of Comparative Political Studies, the Institute for International Economic and Political Studies, the Russian Academy of Sciences:
This territorial dispute cannot be settled as decisively as the Chinese one. The South Kuril Islands are more important to Russia than the territories shared with China, especially in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections. The country has clearly been steering toward nationalism and patriotism. And settling the Kuril problem would be suicide for any politician. Given the situation in the region and the status of Russian-Japanese relations, I do not see a chance for compromise in the foreseeable future.
KOMMERSANT
BIZNES
Kiriyenko to head Federal Atomic Energy Agency
Former Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko held the post of presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District until recently. Now he has been appointed director of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) to replace Alexander Rumyantsev, who will become an ambassador to a European country.
Kiriyenko, who has repeatedly asked the Kremlin for a post in the power industry, will head the lucrative sector, which annually exports up to $3.5 billion in high-tech products and services.
It is high time for a major overhaul of Russia's nuclear sector. Rosenergoatom, which generates heat and electricity at local nuclear power plants, must go public. Its outdated and extremely intricate pricing system must also change because it does not list investment-related aspects and because it prevents the nuclear power plant (NPP) sector from competing against RAO UES of Russia. The Russian nuclear power industry has not developed its full capacity. Although one Finnish NPP was built using Russian technology, Russia lost the tender to build a power unit in Finland, and agency's reputation was tarnished. At the same time, China has postponed putting two power units into operation at the Tianwan NPP.
Kiriyenko's new subordinates would like him to demonstrate political will. "We are professionals who can work under any top manager. Rosatom has not been managed by an outsider since the times of Lavrenty Beria. Now a politician will head the agency once again," a Rosatom official said.
"The situation of the sector is far from perfect, and the Kremlin responded by appointing an outsider," Vladimir Chuprov, head of the anti-nuclear campaign for Greenpeace Russia, said. "Nevertheless, we do not expect any serious improvements because Rosatom is a state within a state," Chuprov said. "The state policy must change because one person cannot accomplish this task."
NOVYE IZVESTIA
Moon, Mars "rightful owners" may thwart Roskosmos and NASA plans
Roskosmos (Russian Space Agency) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have encountered an unexpected obstacle. People claiming to be the "rightful owners" of the lunar surface are threatening to sue the agencies for moral and material damage if a lunar or a Mars station is built on their lots. There are more than 2 million such owners across the world and 6,078 of them live in Russia.
An American citizen, Dennis Hope, has taken advantage of a loophole in international agreements and has been selling plots on the Moon and Mars for more than 20 years now. Under a treaty on the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, ratified by the UN in 1967, no nation may claim ownership of a planet. But the treaty says nothing about private plots.
"Our legal experts have been checking the validity of owners' claims but have not been able to come up with definite answers so far," Igor Zatula, a Roskosmos spokesman, said. "A large number of international laws and agreements have to be worked through. In any case, only courts can confirm the legitimacy of ownership of the Moon and other planets."
NASA's arguments are more ingenious. Under one of the laws passed during the colonization of America, if a person failed to cultivate his land or appear on it for more than 12 years, the plot was to be confiscated
VREMYA NOVOSTEI
Russians do not see democracy as part of their future
Russians would like to see greater state regulation of the economy and are prepared to accept the curtailment of some democratic freedoms in the name of law and order. This is the conclusion of the VTsIOM public opinion center, which surveyed Russians about what future they wanted for their country 8-10 years from now and what socio-economic, domestic and foreign policies the next president should pursue.
On the whole, the respondents were optimistic about Russia's future. As many as 62% said the situation would improve (18% expect considerable improvements) and Russia would become "a strong and prosperous state." Only 22% feared a deterioration of the situation.
Leonty Byzov, chief analyst at VTsIOM, said the optimism index had grown since 1998-1999: "People see the situation improving and think that this will continue. This means that they are extending the current trend into the future."
The poll showed that the future president should strengthen state regulation of the economy and state control over key industries (47% of respondents). Only 16% said the president should create favorable conditions for free enterprise and the market economy.
A total of 37% of respondents said they were satisfied with the current balance between democratic principles and law and order, and another 32% called for harsher actions "to restore order, up to and including a temporary curtailment of some democratic norms and freedoms."
Byzov said that people would like to see a more conservative government in the future: "The key requirement for the state is to restore order and social justice; this is supported by nearly all social groups."
Analysts say that what is interesting about this tendency is that people do not believe that society should share any of the responsibility in achieving these objectives. "The people believe only the authorities. They may be good or bad, but only the authorities can change life, while the opposition, trade unions and parties have proved completely helpless in this respect," he said.
