Moscow Moskovskiy Komsomolets 15 Mar 97 pp 1, 2 Report by policy desk:

"The President Admitted That There Can Be No Love Between the Ruling Authority and the Press. Even So, He Drank a Glass of Champagne for the Freedom of Expression"

The Russian president devoted nearly the whole of yesterday to the main achievement of democracy: the free Russian press. In the morning, in his traditional radio address, he reaffirmed that he does not conceive of a democratic society "without the freedom of expression and the press." As Yeltsin correctly pointed out, this is not to everybody's liking: "Every so often there are cries of discontent: You are not writing or showing things in the way that you should. You should be more delicate, generous, and agreeable."

Incidentally, Boris Nikolayevich [Yeltsin] could have said that also to his press secretary. After all, in the past two months there has not been a single briefing where Mr. Yastrzhembskiy has not expressed his displeasure with a particular publication. This is not to mention the cancellation of Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Aleksandr Gamov's Kremlin accreditation. Such examples are contagious. And now the State Duma, in violation of the law On the Mass Media, bans a state (!) TV company from informing citizens about what is going on within its walls. So the president's assurances that there will be neither political nor ideological censorship are very opportune.

The only limitation for journalists should be responsibility to society. Indeed, Boris Nikolayevich, if anyone, must know that "a word can wound, and a word can cure." It is a good thing, too, that the head of state understands that "there is a desire to whip the ruling authority for its ineptitude." The president assured that the authorities will do their utmost to make sure that journalists can calmly carry out their professional duty without the fear of being killed, taken hostage, or harassed by the powers that be. Even so, Yeltsin presumed, not without reason: "But even then the relationship between the ruling authority and the press will, just the same, not be easy. This is that very special case when reciprocal passionate love is simply ruled out."

This position by the president apparently underlies his 6 March edict "On Approving the List of Confidential Data." Thus, it bans the circulation of "information about facts, events or circumstances concerning a citizen's private life that can be used for identifying his personality (personal data); data constituting the secret of investigation," and so forth; that is to say, in effect the information that the press actually lives by -- not counting statements by government officials, of course.

Yesterday the head of state also met with chief editors of Russian newspapers. All of them agreed that the president looked great, and communicated with them in a lively and easy way. The scope of subjects that he broached in the course of the conversation showed that he is not only abreast of everything that is happening in the country, but also ready to make decisions. Boris Yeltsin reiterated that at the upcoming Russian-U.S. negotiations, our country's position on the issue of NATO expansion will remain invariable. There can be various turns in dealing with this problem, but Russia will never agree to NATO weapons being deployed in the proximity of its territory.

As concerns domestic problems, Yeltsin pins his hopes on new government members. Moreover, he added intriguingly, some of them will possibly be drawn from the Russian hinterland. He also reassured the editors, saying that in the event of integration with Belarus he will not allow the mistakes that characterize Alyaksandr Lukashenka's style in dealing with the press to be transferred to Russia. After all, who but the guarantor of the Constitution should be the guarantor of the freedom of expression?

Boris Nikolayevich also for the first time expressed his opinion on the subject that worries perhaps all Muskovites. He assured that he does not share the Moscow City authorities' passion for Tsereteli, and that his monument to Peter the Great mars the image of Moscow. He also said that the question about reburying the body of Lenin, which is now in a mausoleum, should be decided by the people. And finally, yesterday the head of state raised a glass of champagne in honor of the first winner of the presidential prize among journalists. Izvestia commentator Otto Latsis was declared the best journalist of last year. Please, accept our congratulations, Otto Rudolfovich!