Documents / FOIA release
This CIA release, approved in August 1991, is a Soviet media monitoring report from November 1989. It summarizes a Moscow Television recording of a 15 November news conference in which Leonid Abalkin, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, discussed an all-union conference on radical economic reform. He covered market transition, republican financial autonomy, ruble convertibility and rationing. It then covers the 20 November Supreme Soviet session. UFOs appear only once, in Abalkin's remark that such reports circulate in difficult times.
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one to sharpen one's instruments of argument, compels one to weigh up more attentively the possible consequences, which might be overlooked were there no such criticism. Altogether, in the final analysis, if there is no destructive action and no struggle, one can derive useful things from this, if one regards taking account of diverse points of view as a factor making it possible to ensure a more realistic program of action. "Thank you for the interest you have shown in the work of our conference and in our commission's work. Thank you." ## Supreme Soviet Session ## Moscow TV Airs 20 Nov Supreme Soviet Proceedings ## LD2011174289 ## 1600 GMT [Editorial Report] Moscow Television Service in Russian at 1600 GMT, on 20 November begins carrying a recorded relay of the 20 November Supreme Soviet morning session in the Kremlin. The morning session is chaired by Nishanov, who says there is a quorum for the joint session of the Soviet of the Union and Soviet of Nationalities and declares the session open. He states that if the agenda is not completed this week, it is not excluded that the session may have to continue next week. A draft law on the press may find its way into the agenda if documentation is provided in time. Today the general principles of managing the national economy of the republics will be discussed, further aspects may be included in accordance with notes submitted by deputies. At 1604 GMT, an unidentified Baltic people's deputy asks about a debate on the Draft Law on Financial Autonomy of the Baltic Republics. At 1606 GMT, an unidentified asks why various aspects of the Baltic republics autonomous economic management has not be included in the agenda. At 1607 GMT, Deputy Prunskene asks about the general principles of the draft on the republican economic autonomy. At 1608 GMT, Bichkauskas protests that one issue, namely republican autonomy, was excluded from the agenda: Nishanov says this is not so and puts an end to procedural matters. At 1610 GMT, People's Deputy Nikolskiy of the Commission on Glasnost asks about items on agenda: the Law on the Press is not on agenda. At 1611 GMT, Obolenskiy asks about a decision on banning demonstrations. At 1612 GMT, Deputy Vulfson says that on 18 November a demonstration was held in Riga with 500,000 people taking part, at which questions are asked about why the issue of a confederation was being discussed. The same issue is doubtlessly be discussed in the other Baltic republics. It was prosa that this matter would be discussed in October at USSR Supreme Soviet. The date for the second must be set. At 1614 GMT, Belozertsov asks about the free press the Press Law. At 1616 GMT, Lukyanov says that no emotional clemens must be brought into the Supreme Soviet debate. The deputies have already said that there are attempts to remove the law on the press from the agenda. As soon as comments on the draft have come in, the draft will be on the agenda. As for financial autonomy of the Russian republics, this matter is included on the agenda in front of them. The session is planned to last only 5 days. The deputies have the right to prolong the session if they wish in order to include all these issues. If the Law on the P and the issue of the Baltic republics is to be included on agenda, the deputies must decide this later in the day. At 1620 GMT, Nishanov calls for the business to start the original agenda set in October provided for 1 month work. Deputies have in front of them the draft law on the General Principles of Management of the Economy in the Baltic Republics. At this moment a deputy interrupts the report by trying to submit a petition to the chairman. Abalkin takes the floor, and resumes the history of the draft law, which was not passed at its first reading. A new variant of the law has been drawn up and has been submitted for deputies' consideration. Abalkin stresses the need for compromise and a rational approach. He wdwell on certain aspects only. In accordance with numerous requests, certain points on the legal aspects of the law have been included in the new variant. There must be regional self-financing and financial autonomy in order to develop the economy of the Union as a whole. The law lays stress on demarcating the competence of the republic and the union. The republics themselves must determine certain aspects of this. The concept of ownership is crucial and regional demarcation has a great bearing on this namely demarcation of ownership according to Union republic, region and enterprise. The decision reached by the commission was to lay down general principles of demarcating ownership. Industries are interpreted as the union social distribution of labor, regardless of whether they come under a ministry or not. ## 1635 GMT ## D2011175789 [Editorial Report] Moscow Television Service in Russian at 1635 GMT, ON 20 November continues in recorded relay of the 20 November Supreme Soviet morning session proceedings in the Kremlin. At 1635 gmt, Abalkin states that with regard to taxation the draft law, Article 6, enumerates the taxable revenue of the republics. The financial basis of local soviets must
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 3 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.