ECONOMIC REFORM CONFERENCE

Created: 11/21/1989

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Reform Catrfertacf

AseAla Aaswrrs QrHkn mm

'Editorial Reporl] Mokow Television Service in Rns-mUn3 GMT oeovembernv.tr weanlingews conference held oo IS Noveanbet with Leonid Abalkin, deputy chairman of Ihe USSR Council of Ministers, oe Ihe coodueioq of ate acfontiFic aad practical conference add ia Moacow to Soviet economic reform. Video afaowi Abaltan oa Hum. Aa unidentified chairmaa open*nec

"Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, we have invited youeeting in connection with the conduaion of the aU-enion scientific aad practical conference on radical economic reform. Tail conference opened on Monday and ended today in the Hall of Column* of the House of theToday Academician Leonid Ivanovich AheJkw, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, will ihare his impressions on the conference with you."

Unjral measures, Abalkin says, must be taken loeconomic reform, and these measures must be drawn up before the Congress. Taking part in thewere experts in all fields, to diacuss as openly as possible, with all possible opinionsalionwide prceram to take into account of all shades of opinion. The program muit be realistic, comprehensive, and bold. The conferencereat deal of material overays it was held.

Tbe first question iaASS correspondent who asks about the basis for the theory of the transitional period,

Abalkio says one main issue ia bow to moveoomarket economyarket economy, bow to create the iafrastructure. The program ii basedritical evaluation of past experience, both ia the USSR andcientific and theoretical analysis was also aiade- AU thh went into the proposals advanced.

A BTA co-respondent asks about consensus on the issues discussed and on approaches to repubucaa financial autonomy.

aensu* in tbe sense of an bflrty of tbe decuuow* lo be Financial autonomy must be in trod need in the republic*hich leaves very little time. Huge price changes are impossible, but we are compelled to take interim measures to compensate until full measures- are implemented. The source of republican budget* have

preriacr, defined, and further mean* asnrssdnseats can be1 when other, amove lo fi nancial BUtooceny.

The FINANCIAL TIMES crjrnapoodeu. caclish with aupenmpoard Russian iranaktion. miaSl ejuestion from the FINANCIAL TIMES: CouldTaaT ae what specific cbaases must be made in. programesah of the coelrrence? It aeernedwTI Chat the reaction to your program was prettyow

Aba&ia feapoads: "The conference yielded aocaanaes. ao rekctioos of anyf reform. Conservative moods, however, turned aati be atroogerad assumed before theeurted. This perhaps reflect* the general crjuaea a, social nutation in the country, whjcb isally different from the situation ia the sumi summer of this year. Thi* must be takenhr* complex devekmment of evenU; Onerush it aside, one must be ready for H.

cannot as yet fully evaluate what was dene in Iwent oo in eightndeoplethi* must ke" looked ai attentively, some interesting ideas, andications may evidently be found there. And onlyill il be possible lo evaluate fully Ibe quality of aw

tuguese corresporidenl asks whether public opinion mi/.hi oppose the changes needed to entente froa impasse. Tbe correspondent also asks what wiH be the role of the congress.

Abalkin responds lhat public opinion it vital;been made to play with public opinion andit Public opinion must beconstructive measures andbewill certainly be very turbulent andmust kam to listen and heed one another, we mustsocial

An Indian co-respondent asks in English about opposi-ioo in society lo private ownership.

Abalkin say* the taw on ownership, hate the law on taxation must be submitted for nationwide discussion. A* an ecooomiH. Abalkin aay* lhat it ia very common forbe misunderstood, terminologyource of and therefore of tension. Termi audi cooperative* have been isgiving rase to unnecessary We must not Iry to pul over new thi nk ing in ibe old terminology ofh Century.

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Approved for

Aa EL PAIS correspondent, io Russian, asks: Tbe newspaper EL PAIS.hould like to kam about rubleis one point; then alsof rationing, and third, parallel

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I believe Ibe opinion it leaeral and ^juUeedcrew* rabk to be yv onrf drfrereatce ia la lhe aecafrsxaaalBmpretemaotMi views of row to stake th* The daflerrsot he* in the fact that the profea--gaaasajga,ead by all the greatoviet Uaiou bat in the west, too ii thai in, isnacit be uitrcdnced by decree.eassoo ca" the Supreme Soviet andrubte convertibility ataswary.cr ahss to cneoe about, tte must haw withineveloped rnarkeioorhe price atructnre on the wortd naarket. We aauat labwhJped infrastructure with the cerctdation of rauc securities aad al least what we oaf]oavrrubhiity. We mutt nave well-lrninede musthole boat of other oonditioos gSggtcaBwol be created jun by decree orade purely at This it tbe road we must aa ao-n. But we mast no down it aware of aO nt asjafaraities. This mutt be the case at subsequent states feats aanvenBCat. at wcfL

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qsaeat of rationing it, in ray opinion, an ursaccept-aiksala. We asked tbe country's leading academics and antaornoti far aa analysn of this problem and of the saaaMr eceaKsnsic aad tsKsh) oooaexjuewcea. We aadtotal unanimity from them in their asaessmeni af ae inexpediency and of the socioeconomic unjustifi-ah*iT ofove Ii does nothe program af earf we succeed in implementing the steps aw kave been mapped out in the course of thrt year and ani year, then this issue will have been removed from aaesBsson by Dae start ofs. If Otis program is satsorrsohing prevent* it from being earnedif by the end) by the start afI we are unable to stabilize the situation ha thr country,ystem of rationing wul be inevitable, hat last anil be the end of ibe reform

"The onestion oft parallel currencyuestion that>t open lo discussion Therehos and proposals on this score, but there hasdo decision oo thi* mailer There sic pros andot cein which outweigh which, or by bow much. "bBaannnaaa

* bataonth far tbia."

corrrspoodeat asks about the difficulty of lheof affairs aad whether Tae popssUtion

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repobtKs must be grven their0 they must be aones of change. rbey must sbow that things are changing for tise better.

As ABC CDrrrapowdeot. speaking in Engirsh with super-ansposed Russian irsmlai.cn. aafcr "Pretideni Bosh hastbat he wants pereairoyka to succeed. What Heps would you like the United States to fake in tbe economic specie to help pcrentroyka aasnedr*

Abelkin ivaponds: "We Btast do moat of tbe workernerjibor what Bush said about Poland and Hangary He ants quitehick, when he said,ise aad rraroajc pcairicien, thai the Pose* and Hungar-uun thernselves must bring uSejr country out ofcrisis, just like tbe Soviet people mutt do. We must do thism concerned moat by what mast be done in Our country ia these matters. Aa far what can be eipected of the United State* of America, which might be ofo not wish to develop this topic, because apart from the moat general coeicepti with which you have aD long beeathe issue of tbe moat-favoured nation system, remove some Othershall not be enriching our know! edge wilh anything "

ARLEMS HAG LAD) correspondent, speaking in Russian, asks "We did not all manage to follow the debates conducted at the conference Could you perhaps lefl as more specifically which points gave rite to Che most negative reaction from Usend how do you reckon to break this opposition?"

Answers: -Wereat deal of historical experience on how to break the opposition, [laughter in hall] Therefore, the main task is how to learn toialogue with use opposition Tbe beato compel the conservatives to do battle with ihehile we get on calmly with the job al hand, [laughter] Thai would be the witest totution, we have both radical) and censer-vanrvea. Al Use seme time, we must lake all the valuable and useful and sensible things offered by both of these, and include these in our programme and get oo along our own way. Aa for tbe aspect* which came to forould hmrt anyaetf to just two approaches. Emotions carried over from meetings were present al lheaad there were also scientific discussiont.

"everything starts at tbe very heaJnarngr Should stair property be left analteaed. or should we start toand renew, make it more fWaible and atari the procea* ofration, given labor collectives on this basis the freedom to deride matters mdependeotfy and to elect their manager. Or should we maintain the system of administration by injunction. Should we move tomarket with new laws of regulating it, with fleiible and mobile prices. Or should we aa before keep prxesander harsh stateuite normal process it ander way.ery pleasant one,ormal process of counterpoting and weighing ap aad ao forth. At the samethis r*erynownexistence of any opposition .nmpeti

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

tooe'i uubbuueztU ofne to weigh ap more attralivery the raraaarar coast-'

CrUcaaan.a (he naal analysis, if there at ao elcMnictive action and aooae caa derive aaeful aaitap from [hit, if ooe regards taking acooasl of diverte jtooii of vanraw BtQTf: rra^auc program cf action

rot for ta* interest yrauf ocr criofrrenoe aod ia our corn missions work. Thank

people taking part, ai whichabout why the issueorrfi aeingTbe tame issue hi

in the other Baltic rrpobiics. itwould be discussedSR^prerne Soviet. The date tor the |

f, Beleuxrtsov asks about the free

. Laurvnnov says thaiaio the Supreme

TV

Strprrra* Soviet Soasioa

Soviet Proceed

MT

nwrningi

Report) Moacow Tidrvundn0 GMT, onovember beginsf Iheovember Suprerhe Soviei

m Ihe Kremlin.

is chaired by for the ni nl acaaion of of Nationalities

thai if the is not excludedraft agenda if the general

the republics will

The Dsorairtg Thereension Open, lit ptevd this sveek, ha ve io continue find its way iato vided in time. Tt the national further aapecti may be suhmiiird by deputies.

4 GMT. asksebate on Auiooorny of the Baltic

6 GMT. aa saw of tbe Baltic repabb meal has nol be inch

7 GMT. Deadly Prunakt principles of they draft oa aaionoaay

8 OMT. Bkhksnskaa tuuoriy rrpijCican autonomy, aacnda Ntaunov says this is oot 'matter*.

lOyOMT, PcocJ'Deputy iiasooat aaks about Law an the Prea* it aot OB aacnda.

1 GMT. Cfocaenskiy atki

remove the Ut who the pressn tb* draft have come i

oa tbe aaenda.hii them. The deputiesrder tond ibe issue of the 1

0riginal agendaork. Derm ei have General Pnncipka of iRepubbea. Al report by trying to Abalkin takes tbe draft law, which variant of submrnod fort need for

dwell on

the law have be regional to develop leys (Ires* and Ihe oikm- The onrtaia aapccis of this, and rogjbnal demarcation haa lenuuTjbon of region and enterprise. ik- 4mn*iaudn was to leywnership Industries -it) social distribution of labor.

MT

inistry or OOt

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[Editorial Report] Moacow Television Service ht sain5 GMT. ONovember conlinoes recorded relay of theovember Supreme morning session proceedings in theJKrcmlin.

MT, Deputy Vaifson says that onemon urai ion was held in Riga with

5 gmt, Abalkin states thai ihe draft law, Articlenumerates of the republ ics. Tbe financial

basis pf local

Original document.

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