Russian PM, eyes presidency,
bangs military drum
09:00 a.m. Nov 12, 1999 Eastern
By Patrick Lannin
MOSCOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) -
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said on Friday he would stick to a
pledge to run for the presidency in next
year's election and tried drumming up
support in the military by promising to
build up its might.
In what is likely to give a further boost
to his international profile, Putin's
spokesman said the prime minister
would attend a key summit of the
OSCE rights body, where Russia is
expected to face tough questions over
its Chechnya campaign.
``As far as running for president is
concerned, then that question was
posed to me on the first day of my
work in the government and I answered
it positively. As you know, I never
retract my words,' Putin said in
televised remarks.
President Boris Yeltsin shocked Russia
and the world when he appointed the
little-known Putin as premier in August
and named him as his preferred
successor in the mid-2000 election,
which Yeltsin himself is constitutionally
barred from contesting.
But Putin, a former head of the FSB
domestic security service and a
one-time agent for the Soviet KGB
security police, has seen his ratings in
opinion polls soar.
Political analysts say he is benefiting
from the military campaign against
Islamic separatists in Chechnya.
He was able to claim more advances
on Friday, saying the Russian flag was
again flying over a key Chechen town.
Seen as a strong-arm leader because of
the Chechnya campaign, Putin was
quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as
saying after a meeting of top military
brass that he would do all he could to
make sure the army had what it
required to do its work.
``Concrete decisions will be taken to
mobilise all resources to make the
armed forces more powerful and
effective so that they can meet tasks set
by the state,' he said.
Russia's NTV television reported the
findings of an opinion poll by the
Foundation of Public Opinion which
showed Putin enjoying the support of
32 percent of those questioned, well
ahead of politicians expected to be his
presidential rivals.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov
was second but a long way behind on
16 percent while Yevgeny Primakov,
another former prime minister, had 10
percent.
Primakov, who has not yet said
whether he will run for the presidency,
has formed a political alliance with
Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov to run in
December 19 elections to the State
Duma lower house of parliament.
PUTIN PLANS OSCE VISIT
Putin's international profile has been
raised by several foreign trips including
one to the Norwegian capital Oslo 10
days ago where he held talks with U.S.
President Bill Clinton during a
mini-summit on the Middle East peace
process.
His spokesman said he would travel to
Istanbul in Turkey next week for a
summit of the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
also to be attended by Clinton.
It was not clear whether he would go
alone or accompany Yeltsin, who had
also been expected to make the trip.
Russian leaders are expected to face a
grilling at the summit of the 54-nation
rights and security body over the
seven-week military campaign in
Chechnya.
Western nations have urged Russia to
find a political resolution of the conflict
and to show restraint but Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov, speaking in
Helsinki on Friday, rejected the offer of
an OSCE mission to mediate in the
conflict.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All
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