Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said that in many principal issues of the draft budget for 2001 the viewpoints of the government and Yabloko coincide. “We discussed the potential for a further rapprochement of our positions, so that Yabloko would support the draft budget at its first reading,” said Alexei Kudrin on September 22 after meeting members of the Yabloko faction and Grigory Yavlinsky at the State Duma.

According to Kudrin, during this meeting they determined the directions,

where the work with deputies should be continued. The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that Yabloko’s leader Grigory Yavlinsky had already declared that Yabloko might support the governmental draft budget at its first reading “in certain circumstances”. According to Kudrin, Yabloko assesses this document as a “serious and positive step forward”, compared to the budget for 2000. Kudrin also noted that the positions of Yabloko and the government on the prospects of possible additional revenue are close.

As was announced earlier, Yavlinsky thinks that it would be rational for

these revenues to be offset against a repayment of foreign debt. This envisages the mechanism we have been developing at present, stressed the Deputy Prime Minister. “First of all additiona l revenues will be allocated to a replacement of loans and repayment of foreign debt.”

Kudrin stressed during his meeting with Yabloko deputies that the draft budget for 2001 included 70% of Yabloko’s proposals on the government’s

draft.

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

Grigory Yavlinsky: in certain circumstances the Yabloko faction may support the draft budget for 2001 at its first reading