The Hindu : Putin's ally named Premier

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 02, 2004

International

International

Putin's ally named Premier

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MARCH 1. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Monday nominated Russia's envoy to the European Union, Mikhail Fradkov, to the post of Prime Minister.

Mr. Putin's choice of Prime Minister, announced after consultations with the pro-Kremlin parliamentary majority, had a bombshell effect on the Russian body politic that eclipsed even the surprise sacking of the former Premier, Mikhail Kasyanov, last week. Mr. Fradkov, former head of the tax police, was not as much as mentioned among a dozen or so likely candidates named by political and business pundits here.

Mr. Fradkov (53), began his career in India, serving in the economic wing of the Russian Embassy in New Delhi in 1973-1975. He continued to be closely associated with India when he later worked in Tyazhpromexport, the nodal Government agency for exporting heavy industry equipment. In 1997-1998, he served as Minister for External Economic Relations and in 1999 became Minister for Trade.

When Mr. Putin took over from the former President, Boris Yeltsin, in 2000 Mr. Fradkov was appointed deputy head of the Kremlin Security Council, which was headed at the time by Mr. Putin's most trusted confidant, Sergei Ivanov.

Soon after Mr. Ivanov became Defence Minister, Mr. Fradkov was appointed head of the Federal Tax Police, and when Mr. Putin dissolved the Tax Police a year ago, he sent Mr. Fradkov to Brussels as Russia's representative at the E.U. headquarters. Many mistakenly decided that the appointment marked the end of Mr. Fradkov's political career.

Mr. Fradkov is believed to be close to the so-called `siloviki,' a group of veterans of the secret services who have risen to top positions in the Government after Mr. Putin, who also has a KGB background, became President four years ago.

Mr. Fradkov's nomination is set to win overwhelming approval in the State Duma later this week, with the pro-Government United Russia party enjoying a two-thirds majority in the lower House of Parliament.

Analysts said Mr. Fradkov's appointment signals Mr. Putin's final break with the Yeltsin-era business and political clans. "Fradkov is seen as a protégé of the `siloviki'", said Dmitry Oreshkin of the Merkata Group consultants.

"His appointment is an indication that the next four years will be a time of putting the Russian economic house in order and tightening fiscal discipline in the Government."

Mr. Putin said he wanted to go to the March 14 presidential election with a new team to speed up economic reforms.

Warlord killed

A notorious Chechen warlord was killed near Chechnya today, a Russian security service spokesman said today.

Ruslan Gelayev was killed on Sunday in an encounter with two border guards in the mountains in Dagestan, a Russian region bordering Chechnya, on a road leading to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, the spokesman was quoted as saying. The border guards also died in the encounter.

Gelayev was one of the most daring and successful Chechen commanders, whose militants killed hundreds of Russian troops.

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