The Government of the RF plans to submit to the Duma a draft law envisaging amendments to the state budget for 2001.

The First Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction Sergei Ivanenko said in an interview that Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov had notified representatives of the parliamentary factions of this fact at a meeting held on January 19, 2001.

According to Ivanenko, the Prime Minister noted that contradictory statements from representatives of the executive authorities (about debt

payments to the Paris Club) had damaged Russia's reputation. Ivanenko also said that Kasyanov had confirmed that Russia believes in the need to conduct negotiations with Russia's foreign creditors.

It should not be assumed that Russia refuses to pay. This was the main motive of the Prime Minister's speech, added Ivanenko.

According to Ivanenko, the debt payments to the Paris Club should be the

subject of such negotiations. He also said that such negotiations had virtually not been held in the past period.

Speaking about other issues discussed during the meeting, Ivanenko said that considerable attention had been accorded to the situation in Maritime Territory. "We proposed a variant for ensuring the principal strategic resolution of a whole range of problems that are manifest in Maritime Territory that other regions cannot avoid", added Ivanenko.

In particular, he stressed that "we have proposed that it is necessary for the government to adopt managerial decisions". An important element of such decisions may concern the creation of a Supervisory Board at RAO UES [The Energy System of Russia], Gazprom and other monopoly companies. Ivanenko

also stressed that consumers should be represented in such councils.

In addition Ivanenko stressed that the restructuring plan of RAO UES of Russia should, where possible, be accessible to everybody.

"We raised a problem related to the activity of the anti-monopoly committee, which has today been placed in such a situation that it cannot discharge its functions", added Ivanenko.

Based on Interfax reports.