After Schroeder's visit to Moscow, NTV had no chance of winning, Le Monde believes

The French newspaper Le Monde published a story today under the headline "After the meeting between Putin and Schröder, the private Russian television channel NTV appears to be on the brink of death."

As the newspaper notes, events on NTV were discussed during the meeting between the heads of Russia and Germany extremely unobtrusively - Chancellor Schröder did not even utter the word “NTV” itself. On Monday evening, both leaders answered questions from journalists from the German channel ZDF and the Russian channel RTR. Schroeder immediately expressed his position: “I believe that there should be a clear line between the functions of the owner of a newspaper or magazine and the freedom of editorial policy.” In addition, he said: “I never interfere in their internal affairs, and besides, I am not interested in who is the owner of the TV channel.” “The chancellor didn’t even have to put Putin in a difficult position, and the president himself defended his political line with unusual enthusiasm,” the newspaper writes.

Putin himself, as the newspaper writes, said that this was a banal dispute between shareholders. “I have no right to interfere in this quarrel between two economic entities, however, I agree that the state must do everything to guarantee citizens freedom of speech, especially freedom of the press.”

Receiving Mikhail Gorbachev, head of the NTV Public Council, on the same day, Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that this conflict should be resolved legally and suggested that journalists turn to the appropriate courts. “However, behind this apparent legal neutrality, Putin was unable to hide his irritation towards the channel and its former owner Vladimir Gusinsky,” the newspaper notes.

According to Le Monde, NTV's chances of avoiding falling under the control of Gazprom now seem weaker than ever. Only the leaders of the few liberal parties Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces openly sided with NTV. Yesterday's ally and financier of Gusinsky, Yuri Luzhkov, defected to the enemy camp. One of his aides said that the Moscow mayor's office hopes to return the $200 million provided to Media-Most and NTV as loans. This is another sign that the channel is on the brink of death.