PUTIN OPENED THE FIRST MEETING OF THE STATE COUNCIL

Russian President Vladimir Putin, opening the first meeting of the presidium of the State Council today in Kremlin declared that the State Council “is not going to take place of Duma or Federation Council, but will be a good support for the authorities.” According to Putin, the State Council will be a good example of “collective creation work”. The State Council is a deliberative body attached to the Russian President. It should intensify the interaction of branches of power. The State Council, created by the President’s decree, consists of the head of Khabarovskiy kray Victor Ishaev, Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov, the chairman of the Daghestan State Council Magomedali Magomedov, the Governor of Tyumenskaya Oblast Leonid Roketskiy, Tatar President Mantimer Shaymilev and Saint-Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev. According to Yakovlev, at the first meeting its members are going to discuss the question of the 2001 budget program. This question was discussed on Wednesday at the meeting of the Federation Council. Besides, the regulations of the State Council will be confirmed.