Finance Minister comments on financial reserve

Russia's financial reserve is planned to be 178bn rubles ($5.65bn) onJanuary 1, 2003 Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin toldjournalists today. According to him, at the middle of this year the volumeof the reserve was 49bn rubles ($1.56bn). However, the main financing isplanned for the fourth quarter, the Deputy PM specified.Kudrin pointed out that in 2003 "the practice of creating a financialreserve will remain, however, taking into account the fact that thecorresponding amendments to the Budget Code will not have been introduced,the financial reserve will be again stipulated in the budget". These fundswill be used stage-by-stage in 2003, he added.Even if LUKoil is privatized at the end of next year, the budget willremain balanced, although the financial reserve will decrease, the DeputyPM stressed..