Leader of the Communist Party of Russia (KPRF) Gennady Zyuganov takes part in a press conference in RIA Novosti news agency.
Photo: Vasily Shaposhnikov
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Opposition United in Appearance Only
// Unit for joint foreign policy was created
Russian State Duma created the Inter-party Council on Foreign Policy yesterday. Within its framework, representatives of all factions will work out a joint stand on current external policy issues. The Council’s members believe that the pre-election competition between political parties in the sphere of foreign policy might damage Russia’s image in the world. The opposition thinks that the Kremlin mobilized the parliamentary factions to give a joint rebuff to the West’s criticism.
Members of five parties represented in the State Duma, -- United Russia, the Communist Party, Fair Russia, the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDPR), and Narodnaya Volya (People’s Will), -- signed the agreement on creating the Inter-party Council on Foreign Policy (MSVP), in order to protect Russia’s national interests, they said.
The Council will be gathering no less than once in two months. If most members disagree on a certain issue, it will be suspended. On the contrary, if a joint decision is found, MSVP members will be able to direct letters with their recommendations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the executive bodies.
Independent deputy of the Duma Vladimir Ryzhkov said that the Council will have a clear pro-Kremlin purpose. The deputy believes the parties “received the task to stand up as a united front in the struggle for Russia” on the eve of the federal elections.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 01, 2007
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