Prime Minister Fradkov to hold first session of the new Cabinet

Prime minister Mikhail Fradkov will hold the first session of the new cabinet of ministers on Thursday. The main theme to be discussed will be the ways of realizing the presidential decree "On the System and Structure of the Federal Bodies of Executive Authority" which officially comes into force on Thursday.

The report will be made by vice-premier Alexander Zhukov.

There are three issues on the agenda.

At its press conference held on March 10 prime minister Mikhail Fradkov reported that he had already discussed the ways of realizing the structural reform of the government at the working meeting with the ministers of the new cabinet. "There is little time to complete the mapped out transformations, and continue working not losing anything," Fradkov pointed out.

He stressed that the new government will preserve the course of liberal reforms aimed at raising the competitive power of Russia in the world. "The world lives according to these rules, and we should strive to enhance the competitive power of the economy and man," the prime minister emphasized.

He also said that in the course of the reform the ministries will be free from excessive functions and as a result they will have the possibility to solve new tasks. "The new number of ministries should make it possible for them to work in major directions," Fradkov said. The functions "of the second and third level of governance" should go over to the federal agencies and services.

Fradkov reminded those present that the new cabinet will have 14 ministries and 17 ministers (including the prime minister, his deputy and the government's chief of staff in the rank of a minister).

In addition to the ministers appointed on Tuesday by the presidential decree, a number of former members of Kasyanov's government received proposals to become deputy ministers or to head federal services and agencies.

According to Fradkov, in the course of the coming two months a provision on the ministries will be signed, and in the course of a month - the resolution on the ministries which will determine their number and the personnel composition. When these documents are signed deputy ministers and heads of federal services and agencies will be officially appointed.