Prime Minister comments on economic estimates for 2003

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov expressed hope that the economicestimates of the government for 2003 would not be a subject of dispute inthe parliament. He said this at the opening of a Cabinet's meeting today.At this meeting, the government is discussing major lines of the monetarypolicy for 2003 and the medium-term forecast of social and economicdevelopment of the country. Kasyanov pointed out that the documentsdiscussed today, and the budget draft, which was to be considered by theCabinet on August 15, 2002, "will shift the interaction between thegovernment and the parliament to a new stage". "We shall spend less efforton adjusting our positions", the Prime Minister pointed out. According tohim, this level of interaction will enable them to reduce the time, whichwill be spent on discussions.Kasyanov also stated that in 2002, the government had paid specialattention to elaborating on the forecast of social and economic developmentof the country. "Today, we have a reliable document, the quality of whichis growing every year", he said. The Prime Minister pointed to theimportance of the fact that this document contained the analysis ofeconomic development of various industries and specific factors influencingthe development of various sectors of the economy. Kasyanov concluded thatthe major goal for the government was to reach the levels stipulated bythese economic documents..