Ekspress-Hronika, December 7, 1998, No. 26 (552), page 4

RUSSIA BY EYES OF A EUROPEAN

On plenary session of the European Parliament has passed the debate concerning rendering the food aid to Russia. Olivier Dupuis, secretary of the European Radical Alliance, who has taken the floor in debate, has told the following:

"The today's reality is those, that we became hostages of our own credits for Russia. It is obvious, that on background of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in today's Russia the European Radical Alliance will vote for the resolution on granting humanitarian aid for Russia. But the truth is that we have not developed policy concerning Russia and in a near future it will not appear. Russians, due to our credits and that power over our banks which they have received by indirect way with help of these credits, have had an opportunity to behave as they want. They remain deaf to appeals from the European Union. They will not carry out privatization, first of all that one of the land, which would allow Russia to produce itself all what it needs. We are driven in a corner, we are not capable to render influence on policy of reforms in Russia. That is the basic problem... "