Putin to attend session of legislators' council

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is to attend a session of the legislators' council here today. Those taking part in this session are to discuss legislative support for the delimitation of specific prerogatives between federal, regional and municipal institutions of state authority.

Vladimir Putin met Sergei Mironov, Speaker of the Federation Council, which is the Russian Parliament's upper house, July 8, discussing the forthcoming session of the legislators' council.

Talking to RIA Novosti, Alexander Torshin, executive secretary of the legislators' council and Deputy Federation Council Speaker, said the session's agenda wasn't chosen by sheer coincidence; this issue now ranks among the most important and topical problems, Torshin added.

In his words, the relevant reform aiming to delimit specific terms of reference can only prove effective, if all Russian territories simultaneously pass standard legislative acts, and in case the local self-government system is overhauled accordingly.

Issues as regards the financing of federal-center, territorial and municipal prerogatives are currently being examined, Torshin went on to say.

The legislators' council would also be expected to discuss the replacement of social benefits with cash compensations, Torshin added.

What we need is a well thought-out bill, which would preserve regional social-security levels, shielding socially vulnerable strata, in the first place, Torshin believes.

According to Torshin, today's session of the legislators' council will involve all regional-legislature speakers, Dmitry Kozak, who heads the Russian Government's administration, Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin, Vladimir Putin's aide Igor Shuvalov, as well as Federation Council members and those of the State Duma, i.e. the Russian Parliament's lower house.