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President Gave Up Non-Commercial Secret
// Vladimir Putin told how NCOs threaten the state
Civil Society
Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin during the meting with members of the government demonstrated that he will go to the end in the case with non-commercial public organizations (NCOs). Kommersant correspondent ANDREY KOLESNIKOV thinks that this case could turn in time into several criminal cases.
Yesterday, the meeting with members of government started with a traditional report of German Gref, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, about inflation, which in recent months has significantly increased. Gref said that the inflation in the country was estimated at 0.7 percent in November.
“How much did you say?!” Putin asked with such a facial expression, that if I would have to answer, I would lower the number at least by twice.
“0.7 percent…” Gref sighed. “But it is still a bit lower that we had forecasted…”
The minister behaved like a good salesman.
“Aha,” Putin said with satisfaction. He wasn’t being mean. He just didn’t hear the answer the first time.
The president socialized with government like this for another several minutes. I thought that the session would continue further in its usual closed regime. However, that was not planned. Putin started to tell ministers about the project of the bill “About introduction of amendments to the law ‘About Non Commercial Organization.” This project already went through the first reading in State Duma. However, the presidential words were mostly addressed to journalists.
The president first told about things that were already known without him: on Saturday there was a meeting of all members of the Security Council in Novo-Ogarevo, where the participants discussed this project of the law.
A high ranking source in Kremlin, while making comments about this meeting, yesterday morning proposed me to sleep quietly: “Don’t worry. There will be no ‘Orange Revolutions’.” He even decided to explain why: “Because this project of the law will become the law in the nearest future. I asked if there will be some concessions for the society outraged by the project of the law. He answered:” There will be some. That is what the society is pushing for.”
Yesterday, the president also made several bright and deep comments on the subject.
“I’d like to say one more time that this law is necessary to protect our political system from outside intrusions and to protect our society and citizens from spreading terrorist ideology, ideology of hatred, which can function under different labels,” Putin stated.
It appears that we all, citizens of Russian Federation, are in danger. And finally, those, who are supposed to decided to take care about us.
“We, unfortunately, encounter extreme confessions flowing in different directions. And this is only legal part of the iceberg. And this requires involvement of our law enforcement organizations, which should apply force in some specific cases…” Putin continued.
He probably wanted to say that on Russian territory there are underground extremist organizations, and in the same time some NCO work in the same direction legally. Such interesting form of expression was used by the president to avoid direct accusations (the time for them has not come yet), which could put nails in some NCO’s coffins. Some of these NCOs really bother the president.
“But the main achievement of modern society is democratic process,” Putin did not forget the chorus of this political tune. “And we should not pour out the baby together with the water. For that reason I sent Justice Minister Chaika to Strasburg…”
Yuri Chaika is not a baby for a long time. However, it might be logical to send him far away and thus to avoid pouring him out together with the water. Anyway, Chaika reported that he had very productive work in Strasburg with his European colleagues –Human Rights Commissioner Alvaro Gil-Robles and Director of Justice Department of European Council Guy de Velle. Chaika also admitted that he invited to participate in discussion one professor, a specialist for individual rights from Amsterdam. Yuri Chaika did not remember the last name of the professor, and he didn’t think that it is important either. The main think that the professor was from Amsterdam -- a hotbed of liberalism. And just because of that, he was already best aide for Chaika in this situation.
One could think that Minister of Justice was using the services of a maximum amount of people whom he met on the streets of Strasburg.
“And Robles said…” Chaika made short pause, because he could not hold for long the news that was trying to burst out of him. “He said that every state has a sovereign right to establish the rules, to register, to be aware of bylaw and to know the founders of NCOs!” the minister said with deep sense of accomplishment. “He said that financial transparency is the main requirement in any constitutional state!”
After that statement, the opponents of the project of the law had nothing else left than to follow the way of a captured ninja –bite your tongue off and die.
However, Chaika did not stop there. He said that by the happy (for Russian Federation, of course) coincidence in Strasburg there was a seminar of political scientists from CIS countries and Baltic states. It was chaired by the General Secretary of European Council Davis. “I asked him the same question!” Chaika smiled. “ He said that to establish the rules for the control for expenses is a rule of any respectful states! Further in discussion…”
It looked like Chaika was able to engage Davis into the discussion.
“During this discussion we were talking that our project of the law is compliant with all international demands and norms,” Chaika continued. Then, the Minister of Justice mentioned several conventions, which he used during the discussion as supporting argument. Just the list of these international documents would make to respect the Russian Minister of Justice and to the project of the law about the NCOs.
Chaika achieved in Strasburg a lot. It is highly doubtful that the simple mortal could achieve any more than Chaika did. He brought to Moscow a written conclusion from the experts of European Council for the project of the law and the accompanying letter of Davis! Although, Chaika did not read the letter or the conclusion, he just gave quick overview of both of them.
“The general concept of the project of the law, according to the experts, is designed to provide Federal authorities with more powers to control the NCO’s activities,” Chaika explained.
“Overall, they think that the project of the law is in compliance with international standards” the minister concluded.
Probably, the most interesting things in the documents were particular thoughts of the experts. However, the minister decided not to pay attention to small details. He just said that “the experts expressed concern over some fairly unclear definitions, and they thoughts that some of the demands were excessive.” “…or disproportional to the picture that we’d like to see,” Chaika unexpectedly added.
Thus, Chaika admitted (at least in my view) that the authorities in the case with NCOs see what they wanted to see and not what it is in reality.
However, all these words made good impression for Putin. Besides, he needed these words to add to his own. And Chaika made a pass, which could lead only to sure field goal: “I ask the head of administration to take in consideration recommendations of our European colleagues. I ask to remember about the concerns of Civil Chamber of members of non-government organizations of Russian Federation. And I am giving five days to prepare a project of possible amendments to the project of the law about non-commercial organizations,” Putin concluded, finishing this game.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 06, 2005
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