MOSCOW (AP) -- After an uproar over a Communist lawmaker's anti-Semitic remarks, Russian

officials are drafting a law to ban parties that demonstrate ``political extremism,'' the justice minister

said Monday.

Pavel Krasheninnikov also renewed his push for parliament to pass a draft law banning Nazi symbols,

the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. That measure was presented to the lower house of parliament,

the State Duma, in August.

The news agency report did not say how ``political extremism'' would be defined, and did not

specifically mention anti-Semitism.

At a rally last month, retired general and Communist lawmaker Albert Makashov blamed Russia's

problems on ``zhidy,'' or yids, a slur against Jews, and called for a quota on Jews in government.

His comments outraged many officials, but the Communist-dominated Duma refused to censure him,

prompting calls for a ban on the Communist Party.

Duma speaker Gennady Seleznyov, also a Communist, insisted Monday that Russia ``has more than

enough'' laws to prevent ethnic and racial conflict, ITAR-Tass reported.

Russia's Constitution forbids statements that ``incite ethnic strife,'' but few people have been punished

for making such remarks.

Also Monday, ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said anti-Semitism is not a problem in

Russia, the Interfax news agency reported. He blamed the furor over Makashov on efforts by the West

to test Russian presidential hopefuls on their attitudes toward Jews.

AP-NY-11-16-98 1648EST