Text of programme of the Our Home is Russia social and political movement

1. PURPOSES OF THE OUR HOME IS RUSSIA MOVEMENT

We participants in the Our Home is Russia social and political movement
address the statement of our positions to all citizens of the country. Our
main purpose is to build a democratic civil society and a strong social
state based on the rule of law creating the conditions for a high living
standard of the citizens and the creative realization of the free
individual.

The Our Home is Russia movement was formed in the name of service of
Russia. We are sure that we can resolve its difficult problems better than
others since we are a movement of action, a movement of those who are
working at the practical level in various spheres. We set ourselves
practicable tasks based on knowledge, experience, and national traditions.
We believe in Russia - a country worthy of the greatness of its
forefathers, a country that will be the shining and prosperous home for all
Russians.

The course of historical events required the creation in Russia of a
movement capable of ensuring the country's progressive development, taking
as the basis primarily domestic potential, the stability of society and the
integrity of the state, and of defending human rights and liberties and the
interests of the entire multinational population of the Russian Federation.

The Our Home is Russia movement sets itself the following principal tasks:

to express the interests of all of Russia and all its peoples and
religions, and to strengthen the unity of Russia as a federal state;

to become a centre of attraction to which all to whom action,
responsibility, democracy and Russia are not simply vote-winning election
slogans affiliate. We invite all to join us who can work and not only talk,
and who are able to answer for their actions, recognize their mistakes and
rectify them;

to afford the sober-minded and constructive forces in Russian society an
opportunity to realize their potential and to bar the way to ineptitude,
irresponsibility, demagogy and extremism;

to create a hard-working Federal Assembly;

to strengthen the democratic foundations of Russian statehood and make all
branches of power efficient and increase their interaction;

to impart to the liberal principles of today's economic life in Russia a
palpable social dimension, giving this a dependable legal foundation;

to ensure the safety and well-being of the citizens of Russia;

to promote the spiritual and cultural revival of the peoples of the Russian
Federation;

to reform society on the basis of legality, order, consistency and
stage-by-stage actions.

We will make the policy of the government integral, open and consistent,
and will strive to ensure that all resources and all instruments in the
hands of the state work for the achievement of national goals and the
interests of Russia.

We will perform actively legislative work aimed at the realization of our
programme goals and create practical mechanisms of their implementation.

Our Principles

We are opposed to support for any ideas pursuing a revolutionary, forcible
change in the current system.

We are for continuity in the policy of democratic transformations in Russia.

We aspire to be a truly popular movement of the broad centre, expressing
people's main interests.

We are for honesty, openness, glasnost and democracy.

We intend to achieve our goals by way of struggle at elections of all
levels and the adoption of legislative acts providing for the country' s
progressive development. Representatives of the movement in the government
and other executive bodies are required to facilitate the practical
implementation of the adopted decisions and practical execution of the
laws.

Participation in the elections and victory are necessary for us in order
that we may form an integral system of power:

professional, moral and morally authoritative;

capable of guaranteeing people's safety and well-being and civil rights and
liberties;

prepared for self-cleansing and the acknowledgement of mistakes;

ensuring the efficiency of the power structures and their subordination to
society;

for which the constitutional provision concerning the social state is not a
hollow sound but the purpose of daily and hourly work on the adjustment of
the mechanisms of a full market economy.

Advocating, thus, a strengthening of power, the movement is an active
supporter of a strengthening of Russian statehood.

The movement considers the basis of its activity the combination of
continuity and renewal. We regard tradition as a universal and permanent
value and we reject the imposition of schemes and the performance on the
country and its peoples of experiments that are contrary to national
interests.

We see profound practical meaning in the traditions of the people and the
experience of the past combined with the latest scientific doctrines and
social techniques. While reforming society, we shall not pull down what
exists until we are convinced that something better would come to replace
it.

The movement is open to all who share its programme and views.

Admission to membership of the movement may be both individual and group.

We are gathering around ourselves all to whom our common home - Russia - is
dear, who want progress without revolutionary upheavals, who are tired of
the disorder, and who are devoted to the fatherland. We propose to choose
in favour of stability and development, democracy and patriotism, and
justice and order.

2. STATE AND SOCIETY

2.1. Strengthening of Statehood, Democracy, Human Rights

The movement sees as the principal task in the sphere of constitutional
development the strengthening of Russian statehood and the increased
authority of power and the efficiency of the operation of all its branches
and structures.

We see it as the purpose of constitutional development to set limits to
power, but not to restrict its capability. The democratic process should
operate and develop in accordance with the rules and procedures established
by the constitution, which should not be subject to the control either of
any person or oligarchy.

The movement will contribute to the affirmation in our country of the
principles of the civil society presupposing, inter alia:

the existence of mechanisms of influence of the citizens and public
institutions on state power and the political organization of society ;

the creation of guarantees of the political and economic liberty of each
and noninterference in the activity of general public movements,
organizations, political parties, and religious associations which is in
accordance with the law.

We are for a strong federal executive authority. We are for an efficient
government responsible to parliament, but free of its petty tutelage. We
are for a professional parliament, which should adopt laws, not conduct
aimless discussions. We are for the judiciary, whose role has been
impermissibly downgraded, finally becoming an effective power. We are for a
strengthening of the constitutional role of the president of the Russian
Federation as the head of state ensuring the concerted operation and
interaction of all branches of state power and determining the main
directions of the domestic and foreign policy of the state.

The movement attaches particular significance to guarantees of the safety
of the individual and the rights of the citizen, as property owner
included, seeing this as a most important condition of the independence of
the individual and the development of a democratic society.

2.2. Federalism and Regional Policy

We see the formation of Russian federalism as a guarantee of the
development of native statehood.

The people's choice enshrined in the Constitution of Russia of 1993 is a
choice in the direction of a constitutional, not treaty-based, federation.
Treaties and agreements between the centre and the constituent parts should
be used as a supplementary instrument of the consideration of the economic,
national, and regional specifics of this component of the federation or the
other. Federalism under Russia's conditions is the sole acceptable form of
the organization of power during society's transition from totalitarianism
to democracy in a multinational country. This is the historically evolved
mode of the coexistence and harmonization of the interests of different
peoples and nationalities. This also means a new level of cooperation of
the centre and the regions based on a mutually-agreed distribution between
them of powers and responsibility.

Our goal is to make federalism the principal form of the democratic
organization of society and a civilized form of the decentralization of
power and property authority.

We see federalism as the best medium for the resolution of conflicts both
in individual regions and in the federation as a whole.

The movement proceeds from the fact that a most important task of
constitutional development is the formulation of regional policy, the
priorities of which are: the well-being of the individual and the equality
of human rights throughout Russia connected primarily with the safeguarding
of the rights of the property owner and their legal protection in any
corner of the Russian Federation. The well-being of the citizens, together
with a strengthening of property prosperity implies political and
socioeconomic stability and the equality of the rights of man and citizen
throughout the country, regardless of place of residence; the unity of the
constitutional system of the Russian Federation is secured by conformity to
the federal constitution of the constitutions (charters) of the constituent
parts of the Russian Federation, assurances of the legal equality of the
rights of citizens, and the establishment in legislation of the limits of
the legal regulation of Russia and the constituent parts of the federation.

The country must lie between the extremes of a return to the unitary state
and a blurring of the principles of statehood in an ungovernable
confederation; the integrity and sanctity of the territory of the Russian
Federation imply the exclusive authority of the federal organs of state
power on matters of assurance of the free movement of people, goods, money,
and information throughout Russia, regardless of administrative borders,
and assurance of the integrity of the territory of the country and the
impermissibility of actions aimed at unilateral changes in the status of
constituent parts of the federation; the unity of the system of executive
power, the observance in each component of the federation of the decisions
of the federal authorities on matters of their jurisdiction, the supremacy
of federal legislation, and the application of constitutional measures of
constraint in respect to those who inflict damage on the national interests
of the Russian Federation; guarantees of the rights of the constituent
parts of the Russian Federation connected with the separation of authority
between the centre and the regions, which is defined by constitutional
principles of the equality of the constituent parts of the federation in
their relations with the federal organs of state power and their
independence in decision making.

The principal content of regional policy in the immediate term should be:

the counteraction of territorial disintegration;

a consistent shift of the priorities of economic, financial, social, and
cultural policy toward the constituent parts of the federation;

the precise delineation of authority in the sphere of budgetary and tax
relations, property, and the use of land and other natural resources;

support for local initiatives providing for the maximum utilization of
intrinsic possibilities for stabilization of the socioeconomic situation,
market transformations, and the social protection of the populace;

state support for regions with the most adverse socioeconomic, demographic,
and environmental conditions, primarily the northern regions of Russia, and
also regions with objectively insufficient potential for self-development
at the level achieved by other regions;

the solution of specific problems of large and small cities, depressed
areas, "closed cities" , and localities at mines, plants and timber
industry enterprises;

recognition for the constituent parts of the federation of the right to a
share of the taxes and fees and charges collected on their territory.

2.3. Local Government

We advocate the utmost encouragement of local government, which in Russia
has deep historical roots. Without a transition to real local government,
Russia will not be a stable state, and guarantees for the solution by the
citizens themselves of questions of life sustenance in the cities and
villages will not be created. The citizens' self-government makes real the
communal organization of people's self-protection and mutual assistance.

It is at the local government level that a most important process, creating
the nucleus of society and the state, occurs.

The movement advocates a reform of local government which ensures the
independence of the local authorities within the framework of the
constitution. Only in this case can the population decide questions and
protect itself against any tyranny.

This separation of powers should obtain the corresponding economic
guarantees. The local government authorities should have an independent
budget and should have the right to receive compensation for the
performance of the functions of the state locally. Organizational
guarantees should include the electability of the local government
authorities and the right to the independent determination of their
structure. The guarantees should be based on a more consummate legislative
base and secured by judicial remedy.

The reform of local government is impossible without a reform of the
budgetary system, which should provide for the optimum funding of urban and
rural settlements implying their own sources of revenue.

2.4. Policy of Interethnic Harmony

There has in the transitional period, under the influence of adverse
political and socioeconomic processes, been an exacerbation of interethnic
contradictions, which is extraordinarily dangerous for the Russian
Federation - one of the world's biggest multinational states. This has been
manifested particularly seriously in Chechnya, where the absence of an
efficient legal mechanism, the belated nature of measures of a political
settlement of the conflict, and miscalculations of the leadership of the
power structures prevented the avoidance of mass casualties.

The preservation and strengthening of the federal state depend directly on
the national feelings of all the peoples that populate it . The most
numerous of them is the Russian people, constituting more than four-fifths
of the country's population. The movement consciously sets as its goal a
revival of the Russian nation and the national self-awareness of all
Russian citizens.

This would make it possible to avoid dangerous extreme-right and
extreme-left political turns, crises and bloody upheavals.

A stable state may be built only on the basis of a consideration of
national interests and the interests of the population of the individual
territory.

There should be assurance for each people of Russia of the following:

national parity with the other peoples on the territory of constituent
parts of the federation, including equality in the use of the native
language in official relations and social and cultural life;

the right to ethnocultural self-organization by way of the creation of
associations and area groups;

state support for programmes of the revival and development of the
diversity of national cultures, including the culture of compatriots who
are overseas.

The development of national cultural autonomy and its combination with
local government would make it possible to employ today the traditional
forms of self-organization of the populace.

A policy of interethnic harmony should occupy a leading place in the
strategy of the state development of Russia. It is essential to create
legal mechanisms and conciliation procedures geared to the prevention of
interethnic conflicts and to ensure the legal protection of the citizens
against all manifestations of national extremism. The movement will
endeavour to formulate special legislation in this sphere and to contribute
to the prevention and settlement of interethnic conflicts.

2.5. Fight Against Crime and Corruption

The movement considers a most important direction of the activity of the
organs of state power and administration of all levels the fight against
crime and corruption and the assurance of the security of the citizens,
society, and the state.

A most serious manifestation of the crisis situation that has been created
in the country is the sharp growth of crime and corruption and the
criminalization of the economy, the machinery of state, and society as a
whole. Organized crime represents a particular danger, and the number of
serious crimes, juvenile crime, and group crimes is growing. The use of
firearms and other weapons during felonious assaults is spreading. The
penitentiary system makes no provision for the correction and re-education
of persons convicted of crimes and their return to normal life.

The level of socioeconomic support for the law enforcement authorities and
their officers is inadequate here.

We understand that the state of crime in the country is inseparably
connected with the political and socioeconomic situation as a whole and
consider an essential condition of a reduction in crime an improvement in
the socioeconomic situation of the people, support for the needy strata of
the populace, a solution of the problems of employment of adults and the
youth, the termination and prevention of interethnic wars and conflicts on
the territory of the country, and effective assistance to refugees and the
homeless.

The movement considers essential assurance of the effective equality of all
citizens of Russia before the law by way, specifically, of the abolition of
benefits and privileges for all categories of officials and deputies.

We highlight as the main directions of the fight against crime and corruption:

the reform of administrative, criminal and corrective-labour legislation,
assurance of the stability of legislation, including legislation governing
the protection of the right of ownership, and increased liability for
serious crimes, which is essential under the conditions of the transitional
period;

assurance of the independence of the judiciary and protection of the
constitutional rights of judges and other officers of the law-enforcement
authorities;

unswerving observance of the principle of the inevitability of punishment
for having committed an offence;

support for and development of systems of the social rehabilitation of drug
addicts and alcoholics;

the cleansing of the machinery of state and the law-enforcement authorities
of corrupt officials and persons with a criminal past, and of mafia
grouping lobbyists. The declaration of the property and income of persons
laying claim to state office should be extended to all officials of all
branches of power - legislative, executive and judicial. A check on probity
should be conducted before a person is appointed to state office. We
advocate a prudent reduction in the strength of managerial personnel at all
levels;

protection of the rights of the individual against the arbitrary action of
the law enforcement and other state authorities and officials;

reform of the law-enforcement authorities, primarily the internal affairs
authorities. We deem expedient for the optimization of control the creation
of three types of police authorities: a system of federal police
authorities operating throughout the country within the limits of federal
jurisdiction determined by the law; police of constituent parts of the
federation providing for the prevention and suppression of crimes in
accordance with federal legislation and the laws of the constituent parts
of the federation; municipal police safeguarding public order in accordance
with legislation of Russia and the constituent parts of the federation and
prescriptive and legal documents of the local authorities, and providing
for the protection of the life and health of the citizens and their honour,
dignity and property against criminal encroachments. Such reform would
signify in practice the police getting closer to the citizen and their
increased responsibility to the taxpayer;

the training and constant upgrading of the skills of the personnel of the
law-enforcement authorities and their annual certification, the high level
of material support and stimulation of the personnel, and due material and
technical backing for the work of the law-enforcement authorities;

a fundamental reform of the penitentiary system and the corrective- labour
institutions, and observance of the rights of prisoners and the level of
their support specified by the law, and their social rehabilitation and
return to normal life;

development of the system of the legal training and education of the
public, particularly the youth, and a rise in the standard of legal culture
of the citizens.

The comprehensive realization of the said directions would make it possible
to strengthen law and order in the country, enhance the level of the
public's legal conscience, and increase the legal protection of the
individual, society and the state.


3. RUSSIA'S SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

We believe that the state of affairs in other spheres depends on the
spiritual revival of Russia, the preservation of traditions, and the
development of culture, art, science and education. Work in the name of
Russia's spiritual development is, in this connection, a principal goal of
the movement.

We proceed from the fact that investments in the spiritual sphere and
expenditure on culture, education and science are essential and efficient
capital investments in the country's future. We will, for this reason,
assure an increase in government spending on the social sectors
representing the base of society's spiritual development.

3.1. Culture and Art

We believe that policy in the field of culture is designed to contribute to
the free development of the creative forces of the citizens of Russia and
to ensure the spiritual and moral unity of the people while preserving and
enriching the historical legacy and cultural diversity.

We see as the key role in the consolidation of Russian society and its
spiritual revival the restoration and development of the cultural
traditions and moral values of the multinational people of Russia, and the
creation of a social atmosphere in which freedom of creativity is actually
realized.

In the realization of policy in the sphere of culture and art we contemplate:

the preservation and use of the historical and cultural legacy and
government support for classical types of artistic culture and also
creative quest and experiments in the field of art;

the revival and development of the national cultures of all the peoples and
ethnic groups of the Russian Federation and the Russian heartland;

support for initiatives in the organization of cultural leisure time, the
assurance that it be accessible to the majority of citizens, and the
introduction of children and the youth to the cultural legacy;

the reconstitution and strengthening of cultural relations with the
countries of the near and far abroad and the development of forms of
relations with and support for the Russian national and cultural societies
in the former union republics and other states;

prevention of the monopolization of the news media and the freeing of the
information space, television, video products and the press from the
propaganda of violence, spiritual vapidity and the worst forms of foreign
culture;

support for the diversity of forms and types of cultural activity and the
growth of society's cultural potential.

We can and must preserve and restore cultural monuments. We must make the
humane lessons of native culture and history the basis of the aesthetic and
moral education of the younger generation.

We advocate in the very near future an appreciable increase in the funding
of organizations of culture both at the federal level and at the regional
level in accordance with the "Principles of Legislation of the Russian
Federation on Culture" .

We will create fitting conditions for the life and activity of people
employed in culture and art. This will make it possible, specifically, to
change the trend that has emerged in recent years of many outstanding
figures of culture being forced to leave Russia.

We will encourage sponsorship of the arts both materially and by measures
of moral support, and a strengthening of their authority.

We will accomplish the tasks pertaining to the creation of an efficient
mechanism of the incorporation of the cultural potential in the economic
system via a combination of forms of cultural and tourist activity and the
development of business oriented toward the cultural and commercial sphere,
with the income being used to support the noncommercial sectors in the
field of culture and art.

3.2. Education

The education of the citizens of Russia is the source of its spiritual and
economic revival.

Russians starting out in life will live in an open democratic society with
a dynamic market economy, and the educational institutions must, therefore,
not simply provide knowledge. They are designed to prepare the individual
for conditions of political, economic, social and spiritual existence which
are fundamentally different from today. This invests the entire system of
education with enormous responsibility: with being a principal driving
force of the spiritual and economic revival of our fatherland.

For this reason the movement highlights education as being among its
political priorities. Its development is designed to impart a human
dimension to the current reforms, prepare new generations for the conscious
organization of their life under the conditions of fully-fledged democracy
and a dynamic market economy, and restore respect for the history, culture
and traditions of the Russian and other peoples of Russia. Education can
and should be a factor of the preservation of the unity of Russia and the
stabilization and adaptation of Russian society to the ongoing changes, and
to its acquisition of confidence that the chosen path is the correct one.

Proceeding from this, the Our Home is Russia movement sets the following
tasks in the sphere of education:

to fill with real legal and material substance the guarantee of the right
of each Russian citizen to his choice of education. Each Russian citizen
should have equal access to full-value education;

to preserve and strengthen as the nucleus of the entire Russian educational
system public educational institutions providing free complete secondary
and higher education, developing all types of educational institutions -
public and private and requiring full or partial payment;

to continue on the basis of the further development of the principle of the
autonomy of educational institutions the reform of the secondary and higher
school and general and vocational education with regard to the requirements
of society and the country's economic possibilities;

to undertake the social support at all levels of the general and vocational
education of the children of large, needy and unfortunate families,
orphans, children with development abnormalities and the handicapped, and
children from environmentally unfavoured regions and also gifted children;

to create the conditions for the satisfaction of the cultural and
educational requirements of all peoples of Russia with regard to national
and regional singularities;

to promote the more organic connection of education and the requirements of
the market economy, and a modification of the system of the training and
retraining of personnel such that it correspond to the conditions of the
labour market, respond flexibly to its changes, anticipating them, and be
of an anticipatory progressive character;

to continue the formation of a system of continuous education incorporating
the continuity of different levels of tuition, from preschool through the
higher educational institutions;

to support the aspiration of educational institutions to autonomy and
democratization, the diversity of types of schools and creative directions
based on state standards, the humanization of the teaching and educational
process, and a strengthening of the school's ties to the family,
production, and the community;

to ensure the preservation and an increase in the unique scientific
potential of the domestic higher school, using for this both state support
at the federal and regional levels and new forms based on the attraction of
private investments;

to support satisfaction of the educational requirements of the
Russian-speaking population of the near abroad.

In tackling these tasks, the movement intends to seek the practical
implementation of a federal programme of the development of education and
also long-term programmes and projects geared to the social and economic
protection of the schoolchildren, students, graduates and employees of
educational institutions, and support for innovations in the teaching and
educational process, and a broadening of international cooperation. The
movement considers essential an increase in the budgetary funding of the
sphere of education and also the attraction of private capital to this
sphere.

The state of education is largely determined by the professionalism,
personal attributes, general social condition and economic position of
those who teach and educate. The movement sees as being among its most
important tasks an improvement in the material position of the people
working in education, an enhancement of the prestige of pedagogical work, a
stimulation of the influx into the educational institutions of fresh
forces, and a restoration of guardianship and patronage of the arts and the
lofty spirituality which is traditional for Russia, and which has always
been fed by the concern of society and the state for education, science,
and culture and their creators and exponents.

3.3. Science

Russia is entitled to be proud of its science, the genius of its scientists
and specialists, the wealth of accumulated knowledge, and the breadth and
level of scientific and technological achievements. And it is our duty not
only to preserve but also to multiply this invaluable wealth.

The Our Home is Russia movement sees it as a most important goal to promote
the formulation and realization of a policy that makes Russian science a
dynamic, self-managing system of an increase in natural-scientific,
technical and humanitarian knowledge corresponding to the conditions of the
market structure and the requirements of the spiritual elevation of
society.

The movement puts at the centre of this policy the scientist and the
engineer, and all those who by their labour are preserving and multiplying
the country's scientific potential.

We will uphold and implement the following principles:

guarantees of the high societal position and living standard for scientists;

freedom of scientific creativity and protection of intellectual property;

the priority of the human dimension of science and the paramount
development of research in the spheres determining the quality of life of
Russians and its duration and people's health;

competitiveness, controversy and rivalry in the organization of scientific
research and the selective nature of government support for it;

the extensive enlistment of the scientific community and the use of the
data of science, expert opinions and scientists' recommendations in the
adoption of the most important political, social and economic decisions;

promotion of the further integration of Russian science in the world
scientific community.

The movement considers essential the development and adoption legislatively
of a legal document on national scientific doctrine and official scientific
and technological policy based on the latter. A long-term nature should be
imparted to this doctrine, and its realization is intended to provide for
the transition to the steady development of all aspects of the life of
society and a gradual shift of the centre of gravity in the country's
industrial engineering basis from the predominant use of raw material
resources to resources of an intellectual plane.

We will create all the necessary conditions for the priority development of
basic science, inasmuch as new technology ensuring a higher level of
economic development and national security and an improvement in the
quality of life is always an effect of an achievement of progressive
creative thought.

The movement attaches paramount significance to the restoration and
strengthening of science's ties to production and to the stimulation of
scientific and technological progress in all spheres of the life of
society. Particular significance is attached under the new economic
conditions here to the development of scientific entrepreneurship and the
network of technical parks and pioneer firms as the basis of innovative
processes and the formation of science-intensive production. We see the
support of scientific and technological entrepreneurship, and the
stimulation of innovation activity as an instrument capable of changing the
researcher's motivation to labour and of enhancing the demand for the
results of scientific quest and the ideas of the scientist.

The movement distinguishes as being among science's most important tasks a
rise in the cultural and moral level of Russian society, and its enrichment
with knowledge about itself and mankind as a whole. We can rightly be proud
of the liberation of the humanitarian sciences from ideological shackles
and political control on the part of the authorities. It is now essential
to take the next step - to impart a firm material and financial foundation
to the freedom of creativity that has been acquired. We will promote the
adoption of legislative instruments and government programmes aimed at the
support of the humanitarian sciences and the training of the personnel for
them.

The movement advocates legal backing for and the creation of a flexible and
efficient mechanism of the funding of science, based on government and
nongovernment forms of support of scientific and technological research,
and the active and involved participation in this of a variety of public
organizations, foundations, entrepreneurial circles and private investors.
It is in the unification of the efforts of the state, the private sector
and scientific organizations that we see a powerful lever for the
surmounting of the crisis, and an upturn of the economy and culture. All
this will contribute to an end to the "brain drain" process - the migration
and emigration of scientists and specialists to other countries, and to
spheres of activity far removed from science - and the encouragement of the
productive development of international scientific relations.

In the face of the formidable challenges of the present day, we must all
recognize that Russia currently is in more need than ever, perhaps, of
bright minds and people of expansive thinking who are capable of
introducing to policy wisdom and a profound understanding of the urgent
problems of the fatherland.

The movement will contribute to science and the representatives of the
scientific world themselves also becoming closer to all social, regional
and other groups and strata, and to actual people.

We advocate scientists and all fellow citizens with a respectful attitude
toward the creative possibilities of the human intellect making their
political choice in favour of the priority development of native science
and technology in our common home - Russia.

3.4. Family and Mother and Child

A strong and healthy society means first and foremost a strong family . The
movement considers as most important directions of its social policy a
strengthening of the family and an improvement in the conditions of its
life, and the utmost support for it in the raising of children.

We consider the principal tasks of family policy:

increased government support for and assistance to the family in the
exercise of the basic functions (the birth and raising of children, care
for the elderly and mutual assistance in the home);

an active policy of social protection;

a broadening of the possibilities for the family's satisfaction of its
requirements on its own;

consideration of the specifics of different types of families and their
objective requirements in the provision of social support and the diversity
of the forms and methods of this support;

recognition of the priority nature of the interests of children in family
and social policy;

development of the system of preschools and sports camps and summer
recreation centres for children and needy families, and the exemption of
children's sports establishments from taxes;

legal protection for mother and child;

stimulation of the birth-rate and government support for large families.

We consider essential the introduction of the payment of a child allowance
to needy families in an amount not less than the subsistence level.

For this we will perfect and develop legislation with regard to the
interests of children when adopting government decisions in the economic
and social spheres, ensure the stable funding of the priority problems of
childhood from budgets of all levels, and create in society most-favoured
procedures for activity in the resolution of these problems.

The movement proceeds from the fact that women's rights are an inalienable
essential and indivisible part of general human rights, and that the full
and equal participation of women and men in political, civic, economic,
social and cultural life at the regional, national and international levels
must be a principle of official policy. This will require additional
measures for a strengthening of the position of women on the labour market,
the uniform distribution of family duties, the increased protection of
motherhood and the enhanced role of women in decision-making processes at
all levels.

3.5. Youth Policy

and in its future is impossible without a strengthening of the role of the
youth in the implementation of reforms in all spheres of economic and
social life. The new Russia is particularly in need of a younger generation
of politicians and politically-active citizens who share the ideals of the
civil society and a state based on the rule of law and democracy and
patriotism, are strong in character and will, and who make the priority of
the social transformations not the spontaneity of revolutionary cataclysms
but the sober logic of reform .

We understand that the successful pursuit of economic reform is possible
only with the existence of a wide stratum of young, well-schooled business
managers, entrepreneurs and farmers. They have a taste for their own
business and can withstand competition both at home and abroad. Russia's
future as a technically-developed country will largely depend also on the
young corps of highly-qualified engineers and technicians, and
highly-skilled industrial and agricultural employees, and workers who know
the value of their natural instincts and their expertise.

The movement links the creation of a new community of Russian peoples
inspired by the ideals of genuine humanism with the new generations of
figures of science and culture capable of reviving and multiplying the
world fame of Russian science, art and culture, and the young
intelligentsia carrying in its genes the lofty spirit of Russian
asceticism.

We consider that government support for the youth is social credit, not a
subsidy. We will in this connection support social projects and programmes
making it possible to provide young people with the necessary start in
life, primarily programmes for affording the young person an opportunity to
acquire a vocational education and his first job.

The movement's policy in respect to the younger generation incorporates the
following main directions:

the creation of the conditions for equal access for all categories of youth
to education, labour, culture, sport and medical services;

guarantees of the placement and employment of the youth;

the creation of a network of services contributing to effective vocational
guidance and training;

the application of a system of privileged taxation and lending, repayable
loans and other economic incentives providing for the formation of the
young family, the purchase of housing and the solution of other questionsof
the life sustenance of young people;

the preservation and development of the social infrastructure and the
material and personnel base for physical culture and sports pursuits;

the social protection of orphans and young invalids, and the creation of
special services for the rehabilitation of young people with abnormalities
in health and violations of behavioural standards.

We believe that the youth itself should take part in decision making and
the realization of youth policy. Its interests should be represented by
youth associations, clubs and centres of various purposes and various
persuasions.

The Our Home is Russia social and political movement counts on the
understanding and support of the younger generation of Russians for its
political platform, since the fate of the historic transformations in
Russia and their present and, to an even greater extent, their future are
inseparably connected with the level of social activity of the youth and
its own fortunes.

3.6. The Older Generation and Socially Vulnerable Strata of the Populace

Among the priority directions of the movement's policy is work on social
support for individual groups of the population that are in need of public
assistance.

This means primarily assurance of the well-being and welfare of elderly
people and war and labour veterans.

The movement's task is the creation of a more consummate comprehensive
system of the social protection of elderly citizens and those of advanced
years, and an improvement in the arrangements of their living space based
on the application of the humanitarian standards accepted by the world
community.

The movement will adopt specific measures for the realization in full of
the law "On veterans" and the improvement of legislation concerning
pensions, social services and the granting to people who have crossed the
retirement-age threshold of privileges in respect to taxation and lending,
public utilities and consumer services and sales service, medical and
prosthetic-orthopaedic assistance and fitness centre-resort treatment,
provision with medication and individual means of conveyance, fares, and
the acquisition, purchase, construction, and maintenance of housing.

For needy retirees living apart from their relatives we shall expand
various types of in-kind assistance, including free meals.

The movement will sponsor the creation of an efficient system of social
security for the handicapped as the most vulnerable category of the
population.

For this purpose the movement will contribute to:

the creation and development of a state system of the multiple-profile
comprehensive rehabilitation of the handicapped for the restoration of
their capacities for various types of activity, and also a rehabilitation
industry catering for the production of products facilitating the labour
and everyday life of the handicapped and their employment;

the moulding of public opinion facilitating the social adaptation of the
handicapped;

the formation and development of public associations of the handicapped and
their participation in the life of society and the adoption of most
important social decisions pertaining to problems of the handicapped.

For an improvement in social service we propose to continue to develop the
system of territorial social services and social service centres. It is
essential to create specialized centres for social and psychological and
pedagogical assistance to the family and children; rehabilitation centres
for children and adolescents with limited possibilities; specialized
institutions for unsupervised children and underage offenders.

We will pay particular attention to the social protection of the people of
Chernobyl, servicemen discharged into the reserve and the families of
soldiers who have died in defence of the motherland and the performance of
their military duty.

3.7. Religion

The movement upholds the principle of freedom of worship and religious
denomination, and declares its support for the religious creeds traditional
for Russia. The spiritual and moral revival of the Russian people will large
ly depend on the position in society of the Russian Orthodox Church. We
recognize its special role.

We recognize the property rights of religious associations and advocate the
gradual transfer to the creeds of religious buildings and property
previously used other than as directly intended.

We express concern that the contemporary religious situation in Russia is
being influenced appreciably by diverse religious and semi-religious cults
and organizations, which poured into Russia at the end of the 1980's and
the start of the 1990's. The absence of legislative acts regulating the
activity of foreign missionaries and the availability to the latter of
large financial resources and the absence of effective streamlined and
convincing ideological counteraction - all this has led to the activity of
these new cults assuming mass proportions, increasing the instability in
society, and creating a basis for confrontation on religious grounds. For
this reason, a system of legal regulation of the activity of all foreign
preachers, missions and organizations is essential.

It would be expedient to create in the schools and other secular
educational institutions, on an optional basis, study of the religions
traditional for our country on a culturological level as part of history
and domestic and world culture. It is important to organize the study such
that it be recognized that the most diverse religions are united on what is
most important: they have from century to century taught people love,
honesty and industry. This would make it possible to avert a split between
believers and nonbelievers and the followers of different religions.

We believe that the power structures and the army should be excluded from
the zone of the purposive and organized activity of both religious and
antireligious representatives. The celebration of religious rites should
not be of a compulsory nature and may be practised only on an individual
basis at believers' personal request, unless this impedes the
accomplishment of official assignments.

The movement considers impermissible the pitting of some creeds against
others. We see religion as a serious factor for strengthening of the moral
health of society.

4. SOCIAL POLICY

4.1. Strong Social State

A strong social state is a state that combines economic liberties and
ideals of social progress, and develops the economy with reference to man,
and does not adapt man to economic policy.

The main priority of the movement's social policy is man and his interests
and free development, and a fitting living standard and quality of life. We
will do everything to return to each Russian citizen the feeling of
confidence in the future, which has been suppressed by the complexities
that Russia has encountered on the path of reform of the economy and
society.

The well-being of society depends not only on the material prosperity of
its members, but also on external and internal security, the state of the
social infrastructure (schools, hospitals, institutions for children, the
youth and the elderly, and so forth) and on social peace in society.

The strengthening of market relations in Russia should occur under the
conditions of stable economic and social development. The sole guarantor of
this is a strong social state that prevents defects in the development of
the market, specifically, mass unemployment or a sharply differing living
standards. A most important role here is performed by a strengthening of
legislation humanizing market economic relations.

We are for the building of a social state which bears the responsibility
for a decent life for the people and the free development of each member of
society.

The movement will seek the unconditional discharge by the state structures
of the obligations entrusted to them in respect to legislative, financial
and material backing for the rights of Russian citizens under the strict
control of society. Only thus will the state become social in essence, not
in name.

The movement proceeds from the fact that the social state will:

provide economic and legal guarantees of the realization of the inalienable right of each to seek his own well-being by his labour and knowledge;

create a mechanism of the social protection of all groups of the populace,
primarily its least protected strata;

prevent mass unemployment, and in the event of loss of job, ensure for the
unemployed the possibility of new tuition and retraining, thereby
increasing their competitiveness on the labour market;

create a system of social insurance based on the principles of freedom of
choice of the forms and methods of social protection by Russians
themselves, and a combination of government and nongovernment insurance of
the citizens of Russia for old age, loss of employment, disability and
such;

prevent a fall in the living standard of the socially-unprotected strata of
the populace;

exclude the adoption of decisions leading to an increase in the compulsory
expenditure and payments of the population without having secured the
preliminary conditions for the steady growth of the citizens'income or
having created dependable mechanisms of the necessary compensation
payments;

establish the judicial and administrative responsibility of all providers
of social services for their quality and ensure supervision of the social
sphere both on the part of the state and on the part of the consumers of
its services themselves;

introduce independent social expert appraisal of draft decisions of the
authorities with the findings of expert appraisal being binding on the
authorities that drew up the draft decision;

ensure the protection of the Russian citizen not only against criminal
attempts on his life, property and savings, but also against the actions of
dishonest, incompetent and corrupt officials;

seek a radical improvement in the demographic situation and a lowering of
mortality rates.

4.2. Income Policy

Policy in the sphere of personal income will be geared to the
accomplishment of the following main tasks:

assurance of the economically substantiated growth of income from labour
activity;

furtherance of the growth of income from property and entrepreneurial
activity, and the creation of the economic and legal mechanisms stimulating
the use of this income for the purchase of government securities, and the
investment in and allocation of credit to significant programmes, public
works included;

a rise in the minimum income, based on the indexation of the amount of
government guarantees in accordance with the rise in the level of consumer
prices;

a systematic rise in the wage rates and salaries of employees in the
publicly-funded sectors linked with the growth of consumer prices and wages
in the nonbudgetary sector of the economy, and with regard to the financial
possibilities of the state;

an improvement in the system of tax regulation of the income of individuals
based on the income level of particular groups of the population;

an enhancement of the role of wage-rate agreements and collective
bargaining in the regulation of income by sector of the economy, industry,
employee category and region of the country.

The main aspect in our income policy is a rise in the living standards of
the population as a result of an economic upturn.

We proceed from the principle that compensation for labour and income from
labour activity are the basic constituent parts of personal income. This
makes it possible to ensure labour activity and, consequently, the
well-being of the citizens and society as a whole.

Under the conditions of market relations and the freedom of the formation
of the prices of goods and services, there should be no artificial
restrictions in the amount of compensation for labour. At the same time, on
the other hand, the state should influence via the tax system the formation
of funds for the compensation for labour at the enterprises and also
regulation of the compensation for labour from budgets of all levels.

Our policy in the sphere of compensation for labour is oriented toward a
resolution of the following most serious problems:

a timely increase in the minimum remuneration of employees of the publicly-funded sphere;

assurance of the employers' responsibility for observance of the minimum
guarantees of remuneration and the timeliness of the disbursement of pay
and compensation payments established by legislation;

maintenance of prudent ratios of the levels of pay in the nonbudgetary
sector of the economy and in the publicly-funded establishments, based on
an improvement in the Unified Tariff Net and its indexation with regard to
the growth of prices; prevention of delays in the disbursement of wages in
sectors of the publicly-funded sphere;

elimination of the unjustified differentiation in the amounts of pay by
sector and employee category, based on agreements among representatives of
the executive, employer associations and the unions;

a phased transition from direct regulation of enterprises' labour
compensation funds to the tax regulation of final income;

the ordering of the territorial regulation of compensation for labour by
way of determination of a procedure of the introduction of area wage
coefficients and their amounts with regard to the natural-climatic
conditions of the territory and the varying cost of living in the regions;

the ordering of the compensation for labour of the managers of state-owned
enterprises and organizations.

We intend to overcome the unjustifiably large discrepancy in income level
mainly thanks to differentiation of the rate of income tax and personal
property tax.

We will take decisive steps to raise the income of needy groups of the
populace and to bring the minimum amounts of real income closer to the
subsistence level.

The movement will pay paramount attention to the problem of the restoration
of the savings of citizens and organizations, thanks, included, to national
bond issues with a redemption schedule geared to the foreseeable future. An
accelerated mechanism of the restoration of savings should be specified for
persons of retirement age and other categories of particularly needy
citizens.

4.3. Social Safety Net

A fundamental task of the movement is to ensure that the social protection
of the population be an important component of present-day socioeconomic
policy and be strong, effective and purposive.

Effective social protection presupposes a fundamental improvement in the
system of payments made by way of social security and social assistance.

Current pension legislation will be improved in the direction of the
creation of a dependable system of social security of the citizens with
regard to their labour contribution and change in the cost of living.

The movement considers the following as priorities in the field of pension
security:

the development of an efficient mechanism of earnings being brought up to
date for the computation and conversion of pensions, making it possible to
take account more objectively of the labour contribution of each employee;

the realization of measures to raise pensions in connection with the growth
of consumer prices and average pay, meaning regular indexation and
compensation payments;

a gradual transition to the formation of a system of pension security based
on the fuller realization of the principles of social insurance ;

the development of nongovernment retirement funds for the purpose of the
payment of supplementary pensions from the resources of the employers and
the employees.

Policy in respect to social payments and allowances will be exercised on
the basis of the creation of a two-tier system - federal and regional.

The system of allowances for citizens with children will be further developed.

Our main concern in this sphere is maintenance of living standards and an
increase in the social protection of families with children, the
mobilization of the maximum possible financial resources of the state
budget and state extra-budgetary funds for this purpose, and an expansion
of the category of recipients of allowances and the introduction of new
types of allowances. The movement considers it essential to take account in
every possible way of the interests of children in the development of the
systems of social and medical insurance, an improvement of the system of
the alimony support for children in cases of parental divorce, and the
development of the basic social norms of the provision of children with
educational, health-care and cultural services.

Government guarantees in the sphere of social payments taking shape at the
federal level should be underpinned at the regional level also .

The system of monetary and in-kind assistance with reference to local
conditions will be tied to the level of the birth-rate, the amount of the
regional subsistence level, economic possibilities and the demographic
situation in the region.

4.4. Employment and Unemployment

The structural reorganization of the economy, conversion processes, the
reorganization of loss-making enterprises and the down-sizing of the armed
forces are leading to people's increased mobility on the labour market and
the need for a change of place of employment.

The movement considers it a key task of policy on the labour market to
maintain a high level of employment, to ensure as smooth a change of place
of employment as possible, and to eliminate the factors impeding this
process.

The movement is oriented toward a rise in the quality of manpower and the
development of the services of the state employment office.

Our policy provides for preventive measures to curb mass unemployment, the
protection of the labour rights of the citizens, the organization of
negotiating processes at the enterprises and the creation of new jobs and a
system of public works for citizens who are temporarily out of work.

We will expand the possibilities for employment via the support of small
and medium-sized business, the organization of temporary employment and
intensive retraining, including for those who face the threat of layoffs.

The movement also considers essential for curbing unemployment:

the prompt solution at the federal and regional levels of problems
connected with the mass release of workers;

the realization of programmes regulating the intersectoral and
interregional movement of manpower;

the development and implementation of special employment-assistance
programmes for persons with limited possibilities on the manpower market,
including job quotas, compensation for employers'costs in the organization
of special jobs for the handicapped and the organization of trainee jobs
for the youth, and the introduction of subsidized employment;

the adoption of additional measures for the disbursement of grants and
allowances to the unemployed for the period of training and adaptation to
the new job.

Together with this we contemplate the elaboration of measures providing for
a change in the structure of employment, primarily to the benefit of the
service sphere and the anticipatory vocational training and retraining of
personnel, in respect to people facing the threat of layoffs included.

These measures will be supplemented by programmes geared to the ordering of
internal socioeconomic migration, primarily concerning the movement and
settlement of employees from regions with unpropitious living conditions.

4.5. Social Partnership

We consider social partnership a principal mechanism of the achievement of
harmony in society, compromise between representatives of the working
people and the employers under the aegis of the state, and the joint
formulation of the main decisions in the socioeconomic sphere and their
realization.

We consider as priorities of the movement's policy in the sphere of social
partnership:

an improvement in the mechanism of the collective-bargaining regulation of
social and labour relations, and the increased efficacy of social
partnership oriented toward cooperation and the harmonization of the
interests of the principal components of the market economy - the employers
and wage labour;

the accelerated adoption of a new labour code of the Russian Federation and
a number of other bills, including legislation of the constituent parts of
the Russian Federation on questions of labour relations which specify the
employers'increased responsibility for the observance of legislation
governing labour and occupational safety, and the prevention of labour
conflicts;

the formation and operation in the sectors and regions of associations
(unions) of employers and also wage labour (trade unions) ensuring their
representation and the defence of the rights and interests of the
entrepreneurs and the employees in the sphere of business and labour
relations.

a guarantee of the timely and full remuneration of work performed to a
government order.

We will endeavour constantly to ensure that the parties'activity within the
framework of social partnership be exercised without confrontation and lead
to harmony and that conflicts that arise be resolved in competent fashion
by the empowered authorities.

4.6. Housing Policy

The cornerstone of the movement's social policy is housing construction,
considering that housing remains the boon which is for Russians in the
shortest supply. A revitalization of housing construction would create the
basis for an upturn in the economy as a whole. It should be a priority of
the state.

Amongst the basic principles of our housing policy is the formation of a
housing market. We consider essential a phased transition of the housing
sphere to a loss-free operating mode and the adoption of a housing code.

We propose to form regional and local funds for the development of housing
construction, whose resources should be channelled into the construction of
social-use accommodation, the development of the production base of house
building, provision of residential development areas with engineering and
transport infrastructure facilities, and the payment of compensation
(subsidies) to the needy and other groups of society for payment for the
construction, purchase and upkeep of housing.

We consider an important problem in the sphere of housing construction the
creation of the conditions for an increase in the introduction of housing
from the funds of the populace. We will create for the bulk of the
population with an average income level the conditions for the purchase and
construction of housing from its own resources and with the aid of
government credit and subsidies.

The movement's housing policy contemplates measures for the development of
special family cumulative housing accounts, the creation of mortgage and
other housing lending, the streamlining of the process of the transfer of
housing to municipal ownership at the time of the corporatization of
enterprises, and the formation of a legal base for the development of
competition in the sphere of maintenance of the available housing.

We will devise a mechanism of the unimpeded realization of the right to
obtain or purchase parcels of land for private housing construction.

Housing should be made available free of charge (social housing) or for an
affordable charge, in accordance with legislatively-established norms, to
needy families, refugees, casualties of Chernobyl and other accidents and
natural disasters, and persons who have worked for a long stretch in the
Far North.

Housing will be made available to servicemen discharged into the reserve at
state expense, with regard to the length of service and in accordance with
social norms.

4.7. Health Care and the Environment

The movement will continue the reform of health care on the basis of the
following key principles:

the introduction of social and economic incentives both for the producers
and for the consumers of medical services, with the aim of an increase in
involvement and responsibility in the protection of the health of the
citizens;

assurance of the citizens' right of freedom of choice of medical
institution and ministering physician;

the creation of a medical services market;

the introduction of the multichannel nature of funding in the system of
public health care and the financing of medical establishments in
accordance with the volume and the quality of the services offered.

A principal component of the reform of health care is phased transition to
compulsory medical insurance for the entire population of Russia,
guaranteeing free medical assistance to a volume of the base standards for
all citizens, regardless of personal income.

We will ensure the compulsory licensing of health-care institutions for
determination of the types of activity and services they may render under
programmes of compulsory and voluntary medical insurance .

The financial stability of the system of health care will be secured thanks
to funding from the federal budget, the budgets of constituent parts of the
federation and local budgets, earmarked enterprise allocations and federal
and territorial compulsory medical insurance funds, and also the attraction
of monies of the population and other extra-budgetary sources.

We will continue the structural reorganization of the sector, with a
reorientation of the system of health care toward the public being rendered
primary medical and public-health assistance for disease prevention and
treatment.

We will continue the reorganization of the system of hospital
establishments and create in-patient hospitals with varying intensity of
treatment and modern diagnostic centres, designed to offer consultation
services, and will develop a system of medical assistance on the
family-doctor and general-practitioner principle.

A factor intensifying the crisis in the country is the disturbing
environmental situation.

The movement advocates strict state control and regulation in the sphere of
environmental protection, the use of economic methods of influence on the
solution of environmental problems, and a lowering of the level of
deleterious effects on the natural environment and, via this, on man's
health.

Natural resources should have their own proprietor, bearing the
responsibility, up to and including judicial, for their zealous use.

We will ensure consideration of the environmental factor when actual
decisions in all fields are made. The economy should be developed only on a
scale that provides for the restoration of reproducible resources and
economies in finite resources.

In the implementation of all economic projects we will prevent a
deterioration in the environmental conditions of the habitation of the
population. The economic gain from such projects is exceeded many times
over by losses from the deterioration in people's health, the decline in
the fitness for work and a reduction in life expectancy.

The priority measures that we propose provide for:

the creation of a legislative, organizational and economic system of
fail-safe procedures, and an urgent response to emergencies at particularly
hazardous facilities and in the regions;

the introduction of a strict system of the certification of products,
primarily those types that have a direct effect on people's health;

the formation of a system of environmental insurance guaranteeing
compensation to organizations and citizens for environmental damage;

the creation of an efficient system of state environmental expert appraisal
at the time of the drafting of plans for the development and location of
the productive forces;

the formation of a state and public system of the environmental monitoring
of territories located in environmental disaster zones, primarily
potentially dangerous facilities and also those of historical, cultural or
natural value;

the introduction of a licensing procedure for the use of natural resources;

state protection of particularly valuable historical, cultural and natural
objects and natural life-sustaining systems, and the preservation of the
biological diversity of our country;

the development of a system of environmental education and training.

We will strengthen the role of the regions in the protection of the
environment. All resource taxes and fines for a violation of the
environment should be paid to the local treasuries and channelled by them
primarily into environmental protection measures and the protection of the
health of the population.

5. ECONOMIC POLICY

5.1. New Stage of the Development of Russia's Economy

The movement proceeds from the fact that the liberal stage of the reform of
the Russian economy is concluding, in the main: market relations have
become a reality and the financially-negative consequences of their
introduction are gradually being eliminated. The positive outcome of this
stage, granted all its contradictions, is the soil for the modernization of
the country's economy.

The majority of enterprise managers have recognized their responsibility
for the fortunes of their business and have accepted the need for a
conceptualized, relatively austere financial policy under the conditions of
a free economy.

The pre-reform system of prices, which failed to reflect any economic
reality, has been transformed. An objective basis of the formulation of
current and long-term strategy is being created for the components of the
market. The prerequisites for judicious competition and the
demonopolization of the majority of sectors of the economy have been
created.

Many enterprises have in their activity in the reform years already come to
stand firmly on commercial basis. These enterprises are actually becoming
the backbone of the new economic system and assuming the functions of
control of large segments of the market.

The disconnected nature of the interests of individual sectors of the
economy - banking and production primarily - is being overcome. A process
of the unification of the efforts of the major producers is under way.
Specifically, the positions of corporations are strengthening, and
financial and industrial groups, which are actually operating, are being
created. The state must not impede this process. It should observe it, help
it and utilize it in the national interest, with regard to antitrust
legislation.

Despite the complexities of the transitional period, enterprises have not
sharply reduced employment, have held the work force together and are
continuing to bear the social costs in "their" regions. The decisive role
of the production sector (particularly of large, structure-forming
enterprises) in the preservation of social stability has been expressed
here.

Sectors of the economy demonstrating an upturn have emerged as of late. And
these are not only the sectors oriented toward exports but toward domestic
demand as well. As a result, the prerequisites for a stabilization of the
economic situation as a whole have appeared.

The banking system is developing. Certain financial institutions are even
now attempting via formal and informal financial and industrial
associations to perfect the financial flows. In certain instances, this is
leading not only to an improvement in enterprises' financial indicators,
but to increased output also.

The agrarian sector is experiencing hard times. But there are already the
first signs that business is beginning to recognize the market
attractiveness and possibilities of Russian agriculture. A growth in the
production of fertilizers and agricultural equipment has been charted, and
business investments in the sphere of the processing of agricultural
products are increasing.

These and other facts and trends are creating, in our view, grounds for
real optimism: Russia is beginning to switch from the phase of decline and
systemic crisis to a phase of upturn in the economy.

At the same time, of course, it cannot be said that the policy that has
been pursued thus far is played out. Some of its components, primarily
those aimed at the achievement of financial stabilization, will continue in
one form or another. But it should be emphasized that accomplishing today's
tasks by pursuing a policy based exclusively on the former principles is
practically impossible.

The main economic tasks today are as follows:

the stimulation of national capital for ensuring steady economic growth,
the creation of jobs and Russia's economic security;

an expansion of the field of the direct concurrence of interests of the
economically-active components and national interests; an expansion of the
field of the constructive interaction of the state and business circles;

the encouragement of small and medium-sized enterprises;

the formation of a mixed, socially-oriented economic system on the
principles characteristic of developed market relations.

The new stage of economic transformations contemplates, for the
accomplishment of these tasks, changes to the ideology of reform. The pivot
of the reform should be the idea of national accumulation. The ingredients
of this policy should be the stimulation of savings and their
transformation into investments. It is obvious that these tasks cannot be
accomplished without large-scale, concentrated domestic capital - it is the
operation of the latter, together with small and medium-sized business,
which is capable of really strengthening statehood, raising investment
activity, increasing the number of jobs and ensuring steady economic
growth.

5.2. Role of the State in the Market Economy

The movement advocates a strong state in the economic sphere, but this
strength must be fundamentally different from yesterday. The state should
complete as quickly as possible the creation of the " rules of the game" in
the market economy and, most important, ensure the strictest control of the
observance of these rules. The centre of gravity of state control will
conclusively shift from direct intervention in economic practice to the
creation of a system of conditions conducive to the development of business
activity.

It is essential to overcome the irrational distribution of economic power
between the federal economic centre and the regions. The regions are
attempting to assume many federal functions, and many whose implementation
the localities could handle more efficiently have unnaturally been reserved
to the centre. The adoption of investment decisions by enterprises and
firms is being held back by what are still considerable restrictions, on
the rights of ownership and freedom of migration of monetary capital, and
others.

The movement proceeds from the fact that the regions have a natural right
to such powers as regulation of land relations, licensing, the collection
and use of a number of tax payments for social needs, and the development
of the infrastructure. Understandably, this entire activity should be
performed within the strict framework of federal laws, on which a great
deal of work still has to be done.

Despite the expansion of the boundaries of regional and corporate
independence, an increase in the basic regulatory functions of the federal
centre is objectively necessary. In addition, only such an increase will
create a practicable basis for the revelation of the managerial potential
of the regions and the corporations.

In the economic sphere, the following inalienably belong to the functions
of the federal centre: regulation of currency circulation, foreign trade
and customs policy, national tax policy and the safeguarding of Russia's
economic security.

The movement considers a no less important task of the state the effective
monitoring of compliance with the rules of economic behaviour that it has
itself established. The functions that lie on the border between
law-enforcement and economic functions are being performed inadequately by
the state as yet. This applies to the system of courts of arbitration.
Throughout the world, the protection of contracts is rightly considered a
most important function of the state. The Russian state must ensure such
protection in full.

A strengthening of the role of the state in the control of observance of
the rules of economic behaviour would represent, together with the start of
economic growth, a basis for a gradual decline in the share of the "grey"
sector in the economy and for a weakening of the criminal factors in
economic life.

5.3 Property and Privatization

The basis of Russia's economic system, which is being built according to
the laws of the market economy, is the equality of all forms of property.
This equality in Russia's economic policy should be expressed not only in
the equality of forms of property before the law, but also in the state's
identical attitude toward different forms of property. The movement
guarantees protection of property rights. What has been done within the
framework of privatization, within the framework of reform, will never be
compulsorily nationalized. Property may be confiscated from the proprietor
only in legal form. It is essential to make use, by the most efficient
paths, of the possibilities of the administration of state property. First,
we are talking about land, mineral resources, forests and other natural
resources, the administration of which and the fee for their use could be a
principal component of revenue for Russia and the constituent parts of the
federation. They should be an instrument for stimulation of the development
of the economy in the direction most profitable to the populace. Second,
about the efficient administration of the interests (shares, equity)
belonging to the state.

The movement believes that Russia has an objective need for an economy
which is mixed in terms of property. For this it is necessary to continue
privatization. We need to abandon today's emphasis on the fiscal role of
privatization in favour of its accomplishment of investment tasks, the
restructuring of production and the modernization of the enterprises in the
course of privatization. The movement deems expedient an enhancement of the
role of investment bidding and the channelling of a fixed portion of the
funds from privatization into the competitive distribution of public
investments .

When determining the further directions and proportions of privatization,
the movement will proceed from actual demand for the state's remaining
property. A slowdown in the rate of sales relative to demand is
impermissible if only because state property is, as a rule, less efficient
than private property. At the same time, on the other hand, we are opposed
to the forcing of sales, in favour of the optimization of this process, and
against the privatization of socially significant facilities of health
care, education and culture and properties, the list of which is determined
by federal and regional legislation, constituting national property. It is
necessary to introduce more actively new forms of privatization,
specifically, " sale of the right of sale" , that is, large private
structures that have paid the treasury an initial instalment for the block
of shares belonging to the state being accorded the right independently to
prepare this block for sale and to sell it. To increase the value of the
blocks of shares belonging to the state, which are being sold, it is
necessary to employ such techniques as the issue of loans allowing the
conversion of the bonds into stock in the period of their highest
quotation, to attract massive investments within the framework of second
and subsequent issues.

Preparation of enterprises for sale should be a central clause of the
privatization process. It is necessary to create favourable conditions for
interested parties' purchase of inefficient enterprises for the purpose of
their modernization and, possibly, the reorganization of their production
structure; to apply more extensively procedures of the privatization of
debtor-enterprises.

The movement considers the reconstitution of the unity of the property
complex of the privatized enterprises an extraordinarily important task -
they should either be privatized together with the parcel of land on which
they are located or acquire the opportunity to redeem their land on
preferential terms. It is essential to develop the real estate market. The
movement will pay particular attention to the protection of the rights of
shareholders.

5.4. Monetary Policy, Banks, the Budget and Taxes

The movement believes that monetary and financial policy remains a key area
of work for the government. But the policy of financial stabilization
cannot be considered without a linkage with the main aims of management of
the economy. We do not need victory over inflation at any price. This "any
price" could prove exorbitant: a continuation of the industrial slump,
nonexecution of the adopted budget, a succession of crises on the currency
and financial markets, and so forth. Long-term reference points and the
creation of the conditions for a slowing of growth, only gradual, maybe,
but sure, and the stabilization of prices are needed.

The first stage of this process should be the stabilization of
expectations. The movement considers it essential to pursue a concerted
policy of the formation of the rates and revenue performance of sectors of
the financial market, and to maintain them in a particular, relatively
narrow, band. The prognosticability of the future (not the low level of
inflation and rates in itself) would enable entrepreneurs to form
medium-term economic plans. The achievement of such a situation is possible
only provided that there is constructive interaction between all the state
structures responsible for economic policy.

Considering the openness of Russia's economy in relation to the world
economy, which is now a fact, particular attention will be paid in the
sphere of financial policy to the problem of control of the exchange rate.
We refer to the fact that regulation of the exchange rate is simultaneously
both a means of financial policy and a means of industrial policy. A
strengthening of the rate of the rouble is not an end in itself in economic
policy - the dynamics of its rate must not lag appreciably behind domestic
inflation, otherwise the positions of many domestic commodity producers
would be undermined and the positions of importers would, simultaneously,
be strengthened .

The financial basis of the efficiency of the growth of the economy is
large-scale bank capital. It is this latter which now adopts the key
decisions on the main directions of investment flows. New investment
institutions are forming around it, and the overwhelming proportion of
personal funds is concentrated here. We are sure that in this sphere the
authorities should promote the formation of bank associations of an
investment focus and support their lead role in the formation of financial
and industrial groups.

There are many problems in the relationship between the [Central] Bank of
Russia and the commercial banks. They require special attention. On the one
hand, Russia's banking system must not become unreliable owing to an
insufficiency of reserves and the increased risk of transactions. On the
other, the banks' assets must not become immobilized and credit become more
expensive for this reason.

The movement sees as the way out of this situation the broader enlistment
of Russia's leading banks in the elaboration of the monetary policy of the
Bank of Russia and government structural and investment policy. The state
should, possibly, in some form insure bank investment risk in terms of
agreed projects, seeking from the Central Bank a lowering of reserve
requirements in respect to this credit.

When decisions on the issue of the admittance of foreign banks to Russia's
domestic market are being made, it is essential to proceed from the notion
of the reciprocity of this type of action - this would help Russian banks
make more active headway on foreign markets. At the same time, according
foreign financial structures national procedures would not signify the
lifting of quantitative restrictions on their presence in the country.

Much has already been done for the development of the money market. But one
of its sectors has still to be assimilated. We are talking about physical
gold and other precious metals, and also their securities derivatives. The
possibilities of this market in the stabilization of currency circulation,
the currency exchange rate and the banking system are very considerable.
The development of this market is connected with the accomplishment of the
task of the Russian financial sector's emergence into the world arena.

It should be said plainly that Russia's budget will remain in deficit for
the immediate future. This deficit must unconditionally be reduced without
recourse being made to -issuing further money.

The movement, however, considers impermissible the forced " overfulfilment"
of a deficit-reduction budget programme, signifying the economy's erratic
receipts of budgetary appropriations and changes in the conditions of the
money market, which are hard to forecast. A delay in budgetary payments
essentially takes the form of an inflation tax on the economy, which is
just as unacceptable as a purely money-issue tax.

In the financing of the budget deficit, the movement intends gradually to
shift the emphasis from external to domestic borrowing, and to increase in
the latter borrowing (by way of the issue of government securities) from
the nonbanking sector: the public, large firms and retirement and insurance
funds.

When the revenue side of the budget is being formed, we cannot take account
[as published] of the fact that current tax policy is far from perfection -
the tax burden is too heavy for the economy's transition to a phase of
steady growth, the system of taxes is excessively complex and fiscal
services are still inadequate. An unfair situation whereby honest business
managers are being crushed by taxes, whereas an enormous number of
companies and private persons are underpaying their taxes or not paying
them at all, is taking shape. The treasury remains the major loser here:
the tax collection rate remains unsatisfactory.

The movement's task in the sphere of tax policy amounts to a three-in-one
formula:

first, the lowering and stabilization of tax rates;

second, a considerable simplification of the tax system, thanks to an
appreciable reduction in the number of taxes levied for the local and
federal treasuries included. A still infirm market economy, with an
undeveloped infrastructure, should not have more than four dozen federal
and hundreds of local taxes and fees and charges;

third, an increase in the efficiency of the activity of the tax services,
the level of whose development still far from corresponds to the present
economic situation, is essential.

The fulfilment of these conditions could secure one further most important
demand which the movement makes of the tax system and fiscal policy - they
must be stable and predictable.

Bringing order to bear in the tax system would make it possible to engage
not only the fiscal, but also the stimulatory function of taxation. The
plans of the movement provide here, in particular, for the following:

the extensive application of tax privileges for investments in the
development of production, new technology, science and education;

tax holidays for enterprises that have taken their products onto foreign
markets for the first time;

the introduction of differentiated tax rates by sector of the economy with
regard to the tasks of an active structural policy and the restoration of
the competitiveness of Russian commodities on the domestic market;

a reduction in the proportion of the transfer of funds to the federal
treasury for those regions whose authorities have, by their skilful
actions, achieved a growth in the rate of collection of taxes.

Subsequently, as the tax system is strengthened and simplified, the
movement sees the gradual transfer of the tax burden from the agents of
economic activity to personal income and property as its task. This will
make it possible on the one hand additionally to stimulate economic
activity and, on the other, to strengthen the social function of the tax
system, thanks to the differentiated taxation of personal income in
accordance with a progressive scale.

The first step in this direction could be the replacement of the
inordinately high taxes, primarily VAT, by differentiated excise on a
broader range of goods (other than basic necessities). This would make it
possible to maintain the level and rate of mobilization of taxes paid to
the treasury with a simultaneous reduction in production costs by
intersectoral interaction chains. In addition, the relatively higher rate
of excise on elite commodities would play a notable part in smoothing out
the excessive differentiation in personal living standards.

The movement also intends to take other steps to ease the tax burden. Thus
it is necessary to authorize enterprises and firms to pay taxes in
government securities, T-bills and federal bonds, and also to register
taxes transferred to the treasury as an initial payment in the formeither
of income-bearing government securities or market-rate deposits. Such an
approach would ensure the more rhythmic receipt of payments to the treasury
and would also raise the liquidity of the government bond market.

But it is not enough just to declare a lowering of tax rates as the rate of
collection of taxes improves, this must actually be done. For this we must
not stint and must invest money in the tax service, in an increase in and
the training of its personnel, in a pay raise, and in the development of
control and information systems.

5.5. Structural and Industrial Policy

Although today the main points of growth have taken shape in the raw
material sectors and the primary processing branches, this by no means
testifies that the country has taken the path of colonial development.
Ignoring the potential possibilities of these sectors in support of an
overall economic upturn is impermissible. Firstly, they are even now
producing for the country tremendous revenue and are today one of the few
sources of the national accumulation of capital and, secondly, offer
investment demand, which could, and with the correct government policy,
should serve as a boost to the growth of the more technologically-efficient
contiguous industries.

The movement believes that the attention of the state should be directed
toward the requirements of the growing sectors and the enterprises for
whose products they could present a demand (enterprises of the contiguous
sectors). We need to create propitious procedures for the formations that
are already crystallizing out around promising industries. Only thus,
naturally, can intersectoral blocks, which will become the "locomotives of
growth" for the entire economy, take shape.

But nor should it be forgotten that there are competitive sectors of
high-technology and science-intensive works (civilian and military) in the
Russian economy and science. We realize that these constitute the basis of
Russia's future might and we will pay special attention to them. We proceed
from the fact that the most effective assistance on the part of the state
for high civilian technology are not direct budgetary investments, but
government guarantees for national and foreign investors, the elaboration
of a system of taxation privileges for venture projects in the sphere of
high-tech industries, and prudent customs protectionism in respect to
import-substituting and export-capable science-intensive industries. It is
also essential to render all-around, including political, support in the
realization of international science-intensive projects, in which Russian
enterprises could realize their most competitive developments and obtain a
production order for them within the framework of international projects.

In the sphere of military and dual technology, the state should support the
optimum, stable government order, with real sources of budgetary funding,
for progressive models of military equipment in accordance with Russia's
defensive doctrine. Customs, tax and political support on the part of the
state in arms and defence technology exports for the restoration of
Russia's positions in this sector of the world market is also needed.

Within the framework of general economic structural policy, the question of
the efficient interaction of large-scale industrial and finance capital,
and small and medium-sized business needs to be solved also. We proceed
from the fact that the current system of privileges for small business
should be preserved and supplemented by the broader powers of the regions
in the establishment of these privileges. In addition, a system of measures
for the incorporation in the financial and industrial groups of small
ancillary and technologically-attached works should be devised at the state
level. The first steps in this direction should be the formation of data
banks on the production possibilities and business plans of small
enterprises and the development of a statute on bids and tenders for the
performance of R&D, operations and services by small firms for the large
factories.

5.6. Investments and the Stock Market

Economic policy, whose motto is "national accumulation and steady economic
growth" , is based on a revitalization of investment activity. Overcoming
the decline in investment activity is the priority task of our economy. The
movement will seek the adoption of an all-state programme of the attraction
into the economy of both Russian and foreign investments.

A certain part of the investment flows is formed under the influence of the
conditions on the stock market. However, the present state of this
mechanism is unsatisfactory. Because of this, the value of the production
capital wholly fails to reflect either its actual condition or the
efficiency of its use.

An improvement in the situation here will not be easy. The movement
proceeds primarily from the interests of the potential investors. In the
developed countries, up to one-half of all investments are made by private
individuals. In Russia the investment potential of the population is even
now put at tens of trillions of roubles. And people are prepared to invest
their funds in various financial structures. But for these intentions to be
realized, much needs to be done.

We need to overcome the "pyramid syndrome" . The issue of fundamental
legislative acts regulating the stock market will be completed to this end.
The encouragement of self-regulating organizations and associations of
market professionals ejecting from their ranks dishonest structures will
contribute to a lessening of the risk of fraud. Favourable conditions for
the small investor will be created, namely: stimulation of the development
of institutional investors (such as mutual funds) accumulating the
available funds of individuals and enterprises under the management of
honest professionals. There is now a need for the cancellation or a sharp
reduction in taxes on profits from an increase in the market value of
shares.

Efforts to promote government and corporate securities on the world
financial markets, and also to develop regional securities markets, will be
stepped up.

Foreign investments will be accepted on the basis of the formulation of
precise and stable rules for their access to the Russian economy. The
privileges accorded foreign investors will correspond to the requirements
of "national procedures" , that is, they will extend to native investors
also.

5.7. Foreign Economic Policy

The role of the state in the pursuit of foreign economic policy will consist of:

prudent protectionism in respect to Russian producers and exports on the
basis of the tariff and nontariff regulation of foreign economic activity;

a struggle against procedures that exist currently on international
commodity and financial markets and are discriminatory in regard to Russia
and Russian companies;

direct political support for the interests of Russian companies in foreign
countries and in negotiations with international financial and commercial
organizations;

the formulation of the geopolitical priorities of foreign economic relations.

We believe that the role of the growing sectors, primarily the raw material
industries and primary processing branches and the science-intensive
branches of production, in a strengthening of Russia's world positions
cannot be underestimated. It is these sectors that are today plugged into a
restoration of economic relations in the near and far abroad, the revival
of economic integration on market principles, and active expansion on
commodity and financial markets in the zone of Russia's vitally important
interests.

The movement proceeds from the fact that the main priority is the
development of economic relations with the CIS countries that have,
together with Russia, joined customs and payments unions guaranteeing, on
their territories, national procedures for Russian investors.

It is on the post-Soviet territory that Russia's main vital interests are
concentrated: geopolitical, defence, economic. The closest and most
ramified social, cultural, family-demographic and everyday ties of a
substantial part of the Russian population are preserved with this group of
countries.

Russia's economic policy in relation to the CIS countries will be geared to
the realization of its economic interests by way of the accomplishment of
the following tasks:

the active assimilation of the market of the CIS countries for the sale of
finished products;

assured access to the raw material resources of the CIS countries for which
Russian producers have a need, and of producers of the CIS countries, to
Russian resources, on a mutually-profitable basis;

stimulation of the activity of Russian capital in the CIS countries in
forms of the creation of joint ventures, participation in joint investment
projects and vigorous activity on the stock markets in the CIS and Baltic
countries;

assurance of the dependable operation of the transport and supply line
infrastructure which remains on the territory of the CIS and which is
essential for servicing export-import transactions.

The state should perform a more assertive role here on matters concerning
the payment by CIS countries of their debts to Russia and Russian
companies, specifically, speeding up negotiations on the conversion of
these debts into properties in these countries. At the same time, it is
necessary to continue moderate lending to CIS countries to support the sale
on these markets of products of Russian enterprises.

In the far abroad, Russia's effective integration in the system of
international relations presupposes two levels.

The first is closer contacts with East European countries. They are closer
to Russia in terms of level of development of technology, the rational
integration ties which took shape in the years of the existence of CEMA
have not yet been completely demolished, and their currencies at the
current rate of exchange into freely convertible currencies are roughly
just as far from parity of purchasing power as the Russian rouble.

The second is a balance of interests with the world economic centres that
is more acceptable to Russia. Here the state should contribute in every
possible way to the development of Russian business ties with foreign
partners from countries with a dynamically-growing economy. In this sense,
traditions in political and economic interaction must not become dogma.

In relationships with international financial institutions it is essential
that we seek a shift of emphasis from the allocation of credit to the
Russian economy and the budget deficit to a process of the build-up of
direct and portfolio investments in it. We need to strive for the equal
participation of Russian producers in tenders for the assimilation of the
earmarked credit of international organizations, a lifting of the
moratorium on the payment to Russia of part of the military debts of third
world countries to the former USSR which are due the former, and the
elaboration of special conditions of Russia's phased membership of
international trade organizations.

6. AGRARIAN POLICY

The practice of many developed and developing countries confirms the truth
that their emergence from socioeconomic crisis began with an upturn in
agriculture and government support for it. This is all the more natural for
Russia since those who live in the countryside and work the land provide
for the country's food security together with the processors of
agricultural produce and are the guardians of the national traditions,
morals and gene pool of their people. In agrarian policy, therefore, the
movement proceeds from the priority of this sphere of the economy and will
render the rural commodity producers all-around support, guided by the
principle: "what's good for the peasant is good for the country."

6.1. Reform of the Countryside

The movement links the revival of the Russian countryside and agriculture's
emergence from crisis with the extension and consistent implementation of
reforms aimed at the emancipation of the creative energy and a stimulation
of the independent activity of the peasants.

The movement believes that, as a result of reform, citizens of Russia
should acquire the right to:

unrestricted choice of form of management in the countryside, proceeding from the historical experience of the Russian village;

private ownership of the land, its sale, transfer by deed of gift,
mortgaging and leasing, and other transactions in realization of the right
of ownership; at the same time, on the other hand, the movement does not
reject collective property formed by way of the unification of the owners
of land and property shares, but not depriving members of the association
of title to the shares that they have contributed;

disposal of land and property shares obtained as a result of the reform of
the collective farms at the discretion of their owners.

The movement advocates the multiple structure and diversity of the economic
organization of production, attaches exceptional significance to an
intensification of work on reform of the countryside, rejects the
administrative implementation of reforms, and supports their phased
realization as the corresponding socioeconomic prerequisites are created.

We will encourage and financially support the initiative of the territories
and an extension of their jurisdiction in the formulation of specific
mechanisms of privatization, specifically, in the transformation of
unprofitable large collective enterprises into peasant farms, small
partnerships and cooperatives.

While advocating the introduction of a land market to support turnover of
the land and the land mortgage, the movement intends, with regard to the
experience that has been acquired in the purchase and sale of land, to
prevent the unlimited liberalization of this process. In the transitional
period, state regulation of the land market is essential for the more
effective control of the earmarked use of the land.

The movement intends to contribute to the restoration and increased
fertility of the soils, an end to the predatory and wasteful use of the
land, and an improvement in the environment and the rural habitat as a
whole.

A land code regulating land relationships and creating a legal base for
their reform should be adopted as soon as possible. Work on the compilation
of a land register, without which no mechanism of land reform will work,
will be completed also.

6.2. State Support for the Agrarian Sector

The movement proceeds from the fact that, by virtue of its specific
features and particular significance, agriculture and the people employed
in it are in need of constant support and attention on the part of the
country's state and public institutions. Further support should entail a
refinement of its forms and its increased specificity .

State support will be rendered the agricultural commodity producers of all
forms of ownership and will be realized in the following areas:

the gradual replacement of the traditional budget grants and subsidies by
measures of a market nature;

further improvement of the system of taxation contributing to a growth of
production and revenue;

the establishment and maintenance of a just parity in commodity exchange
between town and country and protection of the peasants against monopolized
industrial structures;

compensation to the peasants for losses in connection with harvest failures
caused by natural cataclysms and unpredictable fluctuations in market
conditions, including violations of parity in commodity exchange between
town and country;

the pursuit of a judicious export-import policy, on the one hand protecting
the domestic commodity producer and, on the other, stimulating an increase
in production efficiency;

a significant increase in investments in agricultural science;

increased attention on the part of the state to agricultural machine
building and stimulation of the production of highly productive machinery,
processing equipment and advanced technology oriented both toward
large-scale production and the small and medium-sized peasant farm;

active promotion of the attraction into agriculture of capital from
nonstate sources both within the country and from overseas;

the state's fulfilment of the role of guarantor in investment lending to
rural farms and equipment leasing.

State support will assume an increasingly targeted nature. Support monies
will be channelled first and foremost to the agricultural producers who
make the most effective use of resources and who, under the conditions of
the market, assume full responsibility for the farm market and for the
production and financial results of their activity .

The movement advocates special attention being paid on the part of the
state to the private and family sector, peasant (private) farms, private
farmsteads and other representatives of small and medium-sized food
entrepreneurship.

The voluntary cooperation of agricultural producers in the organization of
resource supply and the processing and sale of products will be actively
supported. Increased attention will be paid to assistance in the
organization on a cooperative basis of credit and financial institutions,
insurance companies, credit unions, banks and financial foundations capable
of attracting large-scale bank capital to the funding of the agrarian
sectors.

Rural self-management bodies will be regarded as the conduits of state
investments in the social infrastructure of the countryside and also of the
resources of direct budgetary support for the population of the rural
regions whose farms are in a depressed state.

6.3. Social Problems of the Rural Population

The basis of an improvement in life in the countryside will be a growth of
the income of the peasants and the use of these resources both in
consumption and for the expansion of reproduction and the development of
the rural infrastructure. The movement considers it essential that the
state participate in the resolution of such vitally-important problems of
the villagers as road building, power and gas supply, the operation of
transport, a telephone service, and the construction of all types of
communications not only in large population centres, but on farmsteads, in
horticultural partnerships and so forth.

The movement advocates the extensive development of rural self-management,
a strengthening of the role of rural gatherings and the village community,
and the increased efficiency of the work of the law-enforcement authorities
in the countryside.

The movement believes that these measures should be combined with an
increase in budgetary appropriations in the social and cultural
infrastructure of the countryside.

It is essential to raise the quality of instruction in the rural school and
to improve its accommodation. The movement will proceed from the need for
the resolution of this problem, by way of the retention in the countryside
of gifted teachers and the creation of the appropriate conditions for them.

The movement will pay special attention to the problem of workers of the
countryside, care of mother and child, the development of the system of
preschools, and an improvement in the conditions of labour and recreation
of women. We intend to support and develop culture in the countryside, and
to contribute to the construction of cultural and sports institutions.

The movement will defend the interests of war and labour veterans, the
handicapped and retirees, guaranteeing them, primarily, the rights to land
and property shares, which could be dependable sources of support in old
age.

The implementation of a practicable agrarian policy with state support for
the countryside will create the conditions for the formation in Russia of
an efficient agrarian sector and a multimillion-strong class of people who
are simultaneously both property owners and workers. The movement considers
this its most important task, without which the assurance of social peace
and the country's evolutionary development is impossible.

7. FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY

7.1. External Conditions of National Security

The movement's purpose is the creation of the most propitious external
conditions possible for assurance of the dependable security and
development of the country, the successful accomplishment of social
transformations and economic reforms, and the realization and defence of
the interests of the people of Russia, society and the state.

By virtue of geostrategic, political, military, historical and economic
factors, Russia was and will be a great power bearing particular
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Claims to world dominion or global domination are profoundly alien to us.
But just as decisively do we reject isolationism and a withdrawal from
active participation in world politics. Both paths are unacceptable to us.
They would both signify Russia being pitted against the rest of the world
and would drive it into a geopolitical and economic impasse.

The movement declares that the principal content of Russia's foreign policy
should be its active and full participation as a great power in the
creation of a world order which is really based on the principles of
general security, respect for states'sovereignty, independence and
territorial integrity, democratic choice, the observance of international
commitments, defence of human rights and mutually-profitable economic
cooperation. In the system of international relations that is taking shape,
Russian foreign policy is designed to secure for the country the place that
corresponds to the greatest extent to its geopolitical significance,
economic and intellectual potential, and military-political and foreign
economic interests.

The path toward realization of Russia's national-state interests lies via
partnership, not confrontation, with other states. The policy of
partnership with countries of East and West, which is already producing
positive results, will be successful only if it is based on a strong state.

Darting from one extreme to another is impermissible. A lack of
coordination in the approaches of individual branches of state power,
ministries and departments, and statesmen to the problems of the state's
foreign policy is impermissible.

A reliably-operating mechanism for the formation and unswerving practical
implementation of a common state policy in this vitally important sphere is
essential. The movement will seek to create and adjust such a mechanism.

We intend to uphold:

the strengthening of international security and the maintenance of peace;

defence of the rights, liberties and virtues of Russian citizens and our
compatriots abroad;

stability on Russia's borders;

the deterrence of global threats to security connected with the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, economic and environmental
problems, and international terrorism and crime.

We believe that the changes that have occurred have reduced considerably
the threat of direct aggression against the Russian Federation. At the same
time, the danger of war persists. Armed conflicts arising in the soil of
aggressive nationalism and religious intolerance, local wars and
international terrorism, the likelihood of the emergence of which in
particular regions of the world is increasing, represent a particular
threat.

Political and diplomatic, economic and other nonmilitary means, and the
collective actions of the world community in respect to a threat to peace
and acts of aggression should undoubtedly take precedence in the solution
of problems of external security. At the same time, Russia must also be
prepared for the armed protection of its vitally-important interests and
individual and collective defence specified by the UN Charter. For this
reason Russia's military potential must be maintained at a level
appropriate to the extent of the threats, with regard to our material
possibilities and human resources.

7.2. Priorities of Russia's Foreign Policy

Russia should perform a lead, stimulating role in the process of arms
limitation and disarmament. In this context, we are for the speediest
conclusion of a treaty on an all-embracing ban on nuclear testing,
continuation of the process of a reduction in strategic offensive arms with
the enlistment in it of third nuclear powers, the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty being made universal, and Russia's full participation in military
and "dual" technology control procedures.

Against the background of the appearance in recent years of numerous regiona
l conflicts, particular significance is attached to Russia's realization of
its role as a peacemaking power. This applies first and foremost to the
territory of the CIS: stability in this region is directly connected with
the security of our state. Russia bears the main burden of peacemaking
here.

We would welcome and support efforts on various levels - with the
participation of the CIS, the United Nations and the OSCE - contributing to
a settlement at the flash points of the post-Soviet territory. We also
intend simultaneously to continue actively to counteract the practice of
double standards in peacekeeping and the endeavour to attribute the
conflicts in the CIS to the "secondary" category and thereby requiring less
in the way of attention and financial outlays on the part of the
international community.

Russia is a great European state. We are for a Europe united by common
values and a common world outlook. Europe's future lies in the partnership
and cooperation of all the states located here, and in the conclusive
erasure of the ditches and boundary paths left over from former times.
Whoever continues to think in categories of confrontation and bloc
opposition is condemned to historical failure. The plans for NATO's
expansion eastward will not bring about the resolution of a single real
problem of Europe's security and will merely complicate the creation of a
truly all-European model of security, uniting all democratic states of the
continent. The OSCE, which we see as the fulcrum of European security and
stability, and the basis of a mechanism of interstate interaction on the
continent in the 21st century, is designed to play a key part in the
creation of this model. Russia is prepared to develop cooperation with all
European and transatlantic organizations, both those that already exist,
with regard to their development and evolution, and new ones, should they
appear.

It is essential to seek the all-around development of equality, partnership
and mutually-beneficial relations with the countries of East Europe, whose
economies have, as before, great potential for cooperation with Russia.

We are for the creation of an effective mechanism of government stimulation
of business cooperation with our East European neighbours . It is essential
to revive Russia's traditionally close humanitarian and cultural ties to
the peoples of this region.

The essence of our approach to the Yugoslav crisis is composed of the
speediest establishment in this region of lasting peace based on respect
for the legitimate rights of all the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, the
creation of viable democratic states, and a strengthening of Russia's
friendly relations with all states on the territory of the former
Yugoslavia. We are for UN sanctions being lifted in full, as soon as
possible, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which has proven its
commitment to the cause of a peaceful settlement of the Bosnian conflict.

The movement is for equal cooperation with the United States and the
maintenance in relations with it of a judicious balance of interests. While
advocating a strengthening of the Russian-American partnership, the
movement is convinced that such relations between our countries are
possible only in the event of a mutual consideration of each other's
interests, but by no means at the expense of unilateral concessions on our
part. We, of course, take account of the fact that, in a number of
instances, Russian and American interests may not coincide. But this is no
reason for confrontation, differences can and should be settled in a
civilized fashion.

We welcome the stimulation of joint efforts primarily in the pivotal areas
such as arms limitation and reduction, strategic stability, peacemaking,
the creation of a new model of security in Europe, environmental
protection, the conquest of space, and the fight against international
terrorism and drugs trafficking.

The specific features of Russia's Eurasian location and the long-standing
traditions of its neighbourly relations with the countries of Asia make
this continent a natural zone of our priority attention. Our neighbours in
the East are states that are developing dynamically and have, in terms of
their potential, moved into the ranks of world leaders. We are for security
and stability, the development of full mutually-profitable cooperation with
the countries of this continent, and the active incorporation of our state
in the integration processes that are gaining momentum here. We are for the
utmost development of relations of constructive partnership with our great
neighbour China. We advocate the all-around development of political and
economic cooperation with Japan, without linkage with the so-called
territorial issue.

We need to decisively build up our traditional economic and political
relations with the leading countries of the Islamic world. The movement is
for a considerable stimulation of the role of Russia as a guarantor of a
Middle East peace settlement.

In the movement's opinion, cardinal significance in the channel of the
traditional goals of foreign policy - the creation of conditions conducive
to domestic development - is attached to support, by foreign policy
methods, of Russia's economic interests. The unrestricted access of our
industrialists and entrepreneurs to world markets and the conclusive
lifting in commercial law by our partners of discriminatory restrictions on
imports of Russian commodities, and the settlement of possible trade and
economic conflicts in Russia's interests are of paramount significance for
Russia's prosperity.

7.3. Relations With the CIS Countries

Russia's relations with the CIS countries occupy a priority place in
foreign policy. The revival of Russia as a world power and influential
force in international relations will be hard to achieve without the
development of all-around relations with the countries that are members of
the CIS.

The CIS countries are our close neighbours and natural strategic partners,
relations with which are based on a long common history within the
framework of a single state. The strengthening and development of
integration processes in all spheres within the framework of the CIS is the
basic goal of Russia's foreign policy.

The disintegration factor was a cause of the all-embracing crisis which has
affected all former Soviet republics without exception. Since the current
problems are of a comprehensive nature, they may be resolved only by all
members of the CIS together. Bilateral accords should supplement this
process.

The movement believes that a priority direction of Russia's foreign policy
efforts should be the consistent realization of the goals of the economic
union of the CIS members and the development of other forms of integration.
Russia's policy should be coordinated more closely with its commonwealth
partners.

The joint labour and unified transport and communications infrastructure,
which took shape over many decades, dictates the need for integration for
all the former republics. Integration processes should develop on the basis
of mutually-beneficial relations, in accordance with market principles and
internationally-recognized standards.

We believe that the success of market reforms in Russia and the start of
economic growth will create the prerequisites for Russia's objective role
as the economic locomotive of the CIS to become a reality. In implementing
the next measures in the formation of the customs and payments unions
within the framework of the CIS, the state is required to contribute to the
conversion of the near abroad into a zone of favourable opportunities for
Russian industrialists and entrepreneurs.

The development of a system of collective security in the CIS does not
signify the creation of a military bloc. Considering the similarity of
geopolitical interests, the constituting of a special relationship in the
sphere of the military-political and military-technical cooperation with
the CIS countries is essential. A most important task of such cooperation
is assurance of the security of the external borders of the CIS states,
collective peacekeeping and the counteraction of potential external
threats.

The movement believes that in the development of relations with the Baltic
countries, an approach taking account of the actual readiness of each
country for a consideration of Russia's legitimate interests, primarily the
renunciation of groundless territorial claims on our state, should be
employed. An important foundation of Russia's practical steps in the
formation of such relations should be the safeguarding of human rights, of
the Russian-speaking population included, and also our partners' readiness
for a settlement of urgent political, military, economic and social
questions. We are sure that relations between Russia and the Baltic
countries have good prospects .

7.4. Defence of Compatriots

An inalienable part of Russia's foreign policy should be activity in
defence of the rights of our compatriots abroad.

Without this, we cannot successfully tackle the tasks of a strengthening of
the sociopolitical stability of Russian society and the growth of the
prestige of Russia as a great power in the international arena.

Instances of discrimination against our compatriots abroad should meet with
an appropriate response in Russia. We refer here not only to Russians, but
also representatives of all the Russian peoples living outside of it. For
all these people, the Russian state bears legal or moral-political
responsibility. We must ensure that our compatriots feel confident that
Russia will act in their defence.

>From the viewpoint of long-term interests, we do not consider it expedient
to stimulate the migration of ethnic Russians from countries of the near
abroad. Russia has sufficient powers and potential for ensuring the
observance of the civil rights of the Russian-speaking population where it
lives at this time. A general departure of Russians would be detrimental to
Russia's interests in these countries. This would signify the loss of
common sociocultural territory and a policy of passive adaptation to
unfavourable conditions and Russians' voluntary self-isolation.

The near abroad is a sphere of Russia's direct economic interests. The
movement will contribute to its conversion into a zone of favourable
opportunities for Russian industrialists, financiers and entrepreneurs.

For the realization of an efficient policy in support of compatriots, we
propose to adopt the following measures:

to create within the framework of the CIS a mechanism for monitoring
observance of the rights of minorities specified by CIS conventions on
human rights and national minorities;

to ensure the full financing of a federal programme of support for our
compatriots; to establish strict parliamentary and public supervision of
its realization;

to construct Russia's financial and credit policy in relation to the states
of the near abroad depending on the conditions of the habitation in them of
ethnic Russian citizens;

to pursue a policy of the allocation of Russian credit predominantly to the
enterprises and sectors in which our compatriots work;

to grant incentive conditions to entrepreneurs from the Russian diaspora
supplying Russia with goods and services;

to render financial assistance for the preservation of the cultural and
educational level of the Russian-speaking population.

Simultaneously, the movement believes that Russia should be ready to take
in all compatriots who conceive a desire to return to their historical
homeland. We are required to defend immigrants'property rights and to
mitigate the consequences of migration.

It is essential to broaden state support for immigrants. It will be
channelled to the territories of the compact settlement of the immigrants
for the creation of a social infrastructure and an increase in the amounts
of the interest-free long-term loan to involuntary migrants for the
construction and purchase of housing. It is important to extend the network
of primary reception points and centres for the temporary accommodation of
involuntary migrants and to decide questions pertaining to the creation of
the conditions for providing them with employment.

We will step up work on the exchange (compensation) of dwelling space
between Russia and the states the migrants are leaving and will also create
for the immigrants conditions for self-support and the independent solution
of problems involved in their learning to fend for themselves.

To ensure the social stability of Russian society, to regulate spontaneous
migration processes and to prevent illegal immigration, we will adopt
measures to streamline the migration flows, strengthen the system of
immigration control and organize the medical and epidemiological control of
persons entering the country and other actions.

The movement intends to study a set of questions of a political, legal and
organizational nature connected with the furtherance of the realization of
the rights of citizens of Russia to pursue professional activity abroad,
primarily in terms of the creation of a dependable system of the social
protection of Russian citizens while they are working overseas and upon
their return to Russia. Provision will be made simultaneously for the
creation of conditions for retaining scientific and highly-skilled
personnel in the country.

We will adopt measures to put a decisive stop to illegal immigration, to
streamline labour migration to Russia and to terminate the illegal
attraction of foreign manpower for the priority filling of job vacancies
with Russian personnel.

7.5. Military Policy and Defence Capability

Russia cannot forget its defences and security: only under the conditions
of reliable defences can the economy, science and culture properly develop,
and the people's prosperity grow. An upgrading of the country's defence
capability is an indispensable condition of the realization of all plans of
Russia's socioeconomic and political development.

The movement believes that shortcomings in defence support cannot be
eliminated without profound military reform. A weakening of the
motivational basis of military policy disorientates society and erodes its
conviction as to the need for defence, military organizational development
and the maintenance of the army at a high level of performance capability.
This problem must be resolved at the state level by way of the precise
declaration of the basic principles of military policy.

It is essential to orient the country and the army as regards what
vitally-important national interests need to be defended and what threats
Russia could encounter.

We will do everything in the coming period to ensure that the armed forces
are prepared to respond to new threats to Russia's security, primarily to
potential local conflicts. Russia must have a corresponding military policy
and system of organizational development, preparation and use of all
military structures of the state.

We advocate the creation of military-economic potential which could, if
necessary, be engaged as a supplement to nonpower methods of the
elimination of present-day threats to Russia's national security and the
country's vitally-important interests.

7.6. Strengthening of the Armed Forces

adoption of the military doctrine of Russia as the basic legal document
determining the role of the armed forces in the state and the prospect of
their development and reform. Legal documents in the sphere of military
organizational development should be adopted and the size and places of
deployment of the armed forces established on the basis of the former.

It is essential clearly to determine and legislatively enshrine the
functions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and other forces as
political institutions of the state, in accordance with their
military-political purpose and with regard to economic and scientific and
technological possibilities.

Based on the military doctrine, we will draw up and confirm a long-term
programme of technical rearmament of the Russian army, with regard to
scientific and technological developments, experimental models of which
have been tested and have proven their efficiency, and will reconsider
mobilization plans, determining thereby precise reference points for
conversion.

The armed forces should be consistently withdrawn from the sphere of
political struggle. Political polarization amongst servicemen cannot be
allowed. It is essential to seek the complete restoration of the vertical
line of unity of command within the armed forces themselves and a
strengthening of civilian control over them. The army cannot make political
decisions. Such decisions must be adopted by state officials, to whom this
right is entrusted by the electorate and the law, and who bear the fullness
of responsibility for the results.

As the economic conditions are created, we will switch to a professional
army formed on a contract basis, with the preservation at the current stage
of the existing procedure of manning of the armed forces and the
citizens'military service obligation. Provision will be made for
alternative service for those who, for religious or other reasons, cannot
serve with weapon in hand.

We are for a revival of Russian citizens' national values in regard to the
combat traditions of the army and navy, and the glory of Russian arms, and
for the education of society in a spirit of patriotism.

We will strive for the maximum protection of the life, health, honour and
dignity of compulsory-service personnel and the eradication of so-called
"nonregulation relationships" in the army.

We will ensure the increased prestige of service and work in the armed
forces, other forces of the Russian Federation and the country' s defence
complex, thanks to a cardinal improvement in the material support and
social protection of servicemen and employees of the defence sectors.

The movement advocates an improvement in military cooperation within the
framework of the CIS, thanks to the harmonization of military doctrines,
the coordination of military planning, joint combat training and the
unification and standardization of arms and military equipment.

7.7. The Country's Defence Industry Potential

The goals and missions in the sphere of military organizational development
must be supported by the corresponding development of the country's defence
industry potential. The armed forces and other Russian forces must obtain
in good time effective arms systems and military and specialized equipment,
and accessories and supplies in the quantities necessary and sufficient for
the guaranteed defence of the vitally-important interests of society and
the state. At the same time, on the other hand, extravagance and the
reckless consumption of state resources for the sake of satisfying narrow
departmental interests is impermissible here.

The creation of the optimum system of arms, providing for increased
performance capability thanks to qualitative indicators and on the basis of
the anticipatory creation of new generations of arms and military and
specialized equipment and accessories and supplies, is essential.

The movement considers as a priority step geared to the solution of
problems of the defence complex, a strengthening of the country's defence
capability and the preservation and development of defence industry
potential, the implementation as of the present year of a set of
interconnected measures geared to the formation of an efficient nucleus of
defence factories, enterprises and organizations of various forms of
ownership.

It is essential for this to adopt a long-term programme ensuring certainty
for the enterprises with regard to the defence order workload.

The introduction of a competitive basis in the system of orders and the
development and production of military and militarily-oriented products is
essential. It is necessary simultaneously to convey the defence order to
the enterprises in good time, providing for its stable financing.

The movement proceeds from the fact that military-technical cooperation
with foreign countries is the prerogative of the state and pertains to a
sphere which should be regulated by a supra-departmental military-political
decision-making mechanism. In the organization of such cooperation, it is
necessary to proceed from the need for a balanced combination of the
military-political and economic interests of the state.

We regard exports of conventional arms and military equipment as an
important means of strengthening the military-political position of Russia
in various regions of the world, the acquisition of currency resources for
state needs, and the maintenance of the country's military industry
potential, primarily in respect to the development of the scientific and
technological and experimental base of the defence sectors, and the social
protection of the personnel of the enterprises, institutions and
organizations in this sphere. Support on the part of the state for arms and
military equipment exports and control of them are needed for a
strengthening of Russia's positions on the world arms market.

CONCLUSION

Today, we state our purposes, tasks and principles. Our programme is a
programme of people of action, a programme of professionals who know what
needs to be done for the revival and reconstitution of Russia, and how to
do it.

There are such people in every corner of our country, in each region and
each republic, and in every social group. They are in business and banking,
industry and commerce, science and education, culture and art. They live in
cities and in the country. They are performing their difficult service in
the ranks of Russia's armed forces and defending law and order. They are
working in the bodies of power and building local government. There are
very many such people. And they are all Russia's true wealth and its hope.

Our movement is a movement of those for whom dignity, duty and honour
constitute the meaning of life. For whom conscience and deed are
indivisible.

We call on you, esteemed compatriots, to participate in the creation of our
movement and in the reconstitution of our home - Russia.

We invite the parties and public associations to which our purposes and
principles are close to affiliate with us.

May our movement become a union of all who are prepared for professional,
competent, responsible work and for constructive cooperation in the name of
our common home - Russia! A strong Russia! A stable Russia! A federal
Russia! A confident Russia!