Officially

Prime Minister

Made a number of personnel appointments in the government. In particular, he appointed Andrei Kashevarov deputy head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). Mikhail Fradkov also appointed Vladimir Starodubov Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development, releasing him from his previously held position of First Deputy Minister of Health. In addition, Yuri Kosarev was relieved of his post as chairman of the Social Insurance Fund. Former Deputy Prime Minister Galina Karelova was appointed to this position.

By his order, he dismissed Mikhail Barkov from the post of Trade Representative of Russia in the United States due to his transfer to another job.

Government

Plans to carry out another salary increase for public sector employees in 2005. Deputy Minister of Finance Tatyana Golikova told reporters about this. She explained that the salary increase will be carried out as part of the indexation of the entire unified tariff schedule. Proposals for indexation and changes in the tariff schedule will be considered at one of the government meetings. Tatyana Golikova did not say about the volume of the planned increase, saying that she “does not want to take away bread” from the Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov.

Departments

The volume of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves as of April 9 amounted to $83.5 billion, the Department of External and Public Relations of the Bank of Russia reported yesterday. Meanwhile, as of April 2, their volume amounted to $83.6 billion. Thus, over the week, gold and foreign exchange reserves decreased by $100 million.

Russia has made some progress in negotiations with the EU on gas issues, but it is too early to talk about concrete results. This was announced by the head of the Russian delegation at the negotiations on Russia’s accession to the WTO, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Economic Development Maxim Medvedkov. He noted that the “gas problem” will become one of the main points of negotiations at the meeting of the head of the Ministry of Economic Development German Gref and the EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy on April 22, 2004.

The Russian Pension Fund expects to send out information on the status of the funded part of their labor pension to citizens participating in the pension reform by July 1, said Gennady Batanov, Chairman of the Board of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. He recalled that in 2004, citizens must determine the management company or non-state pension fund to which they will entrust their pension savings by October 1. At the same time, Gennady Batanov considers it necessary to move forward in the future the deadlines for citizens to select management companies and non-state pension funds by 3 months (from July 1 to November 1). According to him, a corresponding draft law has already been developed, which is expected to soon be considered at a government meeting.

The Central Election Commission has completed work on the draft federal constitutional law on a referendum, said CEC Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov. He recalled that the first law on a referendum was adopted in 1995 and over nine years of law enforcement required additions and adjustments. The new project, according to Alexander Veshnyakov, is based on the practice of referendums taking place in the regions of Russia, as well as the experience of holding federal referendums. The head of the Russian Central Election Commission noted that this week the draft document will be sent for examination to the Main Legal Directorate of the President.

State Duma

The State Duma Committee on Security today recommended that the House reject a bill that would establish restrictions on the showing in television programs of bodies and fragments of bodies of those killed as a result of a terrorist attack. This bill was submitted to the Duma by the Chairman of the Duma Committee on Information Policy Valery Komissarov. The committee’s conclusion notes that general ethical standards for reporting emergency situations are contained in the codes of professional activity of journalists, and a legal prohibition may entail an infringement of the rights of viewers to reliable information.

Based on materials from news agencies and our own information