Russian ministers report to Putin on further reforms, aid to Serbian refugees
[Presenter] President Vladimir Putin today held a meeting with members of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Kremlin.
Issues of the administrative reform, completion of the government's formation and the country's economic
development were discussed at the meeting. Ways of resolving the Kosovo crisis and rendering humanitarian assistance to
Serbian refugees were discussed as separate topics. Our correspondent Pavel Pchelkin has the details.
[Correspondent] Following the changes to the government structure, the reform of the country's entire
administration system is not too far away. President Putin in the Kremlin today urged the Cabinet of Ministers to
de-bureaucratize administration at the lower levels of power as well. In fact every Russian citizen is aware today that
this is the most difficult reform among those being implemented.
[Putin] De-bureaucratization of the government itself must not result in work getting bogged down at lower levels.
We, together with you, have pulled out certain stops at a high government level and it is not acceptable that these
stops emerge at a ministerial level.
[Correspondent] The government is starting to work on a new budget this week. Head of the Ministry of Economic
Development [and Trade] German Gref reported to the president that it is planned to increase the GDP next year by 5.8
per cent. Minister of Health and Social Reform Mikhail Zurabov reported about the preparations for indexation of
pensions in the beginning of April. One more topic, salary arrears, was also touched upon.
[Zurabov] In some regions arrears are increasing. It is true that it has not reached a one-month limit yet. However,
we intend to conduct relevant consultations with constituent subjects of the [Russian] Federation this very week at the
Finance Ministry so as to identify the causes and make attempts to bring the situation back to normal within the
following week.
[Putin] All right, keep it under control by all means. The increase in wage arrears should not be allowed under any
circumstances.
[Correspondent] The head of the emergencies ministry, Sergey Shoygu, did not attend the meeting. At exactly that time
he was about to leave for Serbia-Montenegro to assess the situation regarding refugees from Kosovo. According to Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov Russia is ready to provide aid right away to victims of ethnic cleansing in the province.
[Ivanov] We have allocated rear supplies from the Defence Ministry's supply depot, first and foremost, tents,
blankets, bedclothes, enough for up to 10,000 refugees, in this particular case, Serbian refugees from Kosovo to live
there [in tents] temporarily.
[Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Affairs Minister] As we have agreed, under your instruction we issued on Saturday [20 March]
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement regarding the situation in the province and officially proposed to our
NATO partners to include the issue of the Kosovo settlement, and the Kosovo crisis in general, on the agenda of the
NATO-Russia Council which is due on 2 April.
[Correspondent] Head of the Defence Ministry informed the president about the start of preparations for a major
exercise of the Black Sea Fleet.
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