Text of a report by Russian radio Mayak on Friday:

[Presenter] Just over an hour ago the first session of the Round Table opened in the Kremlin with the participation of representatives of the executive and legislative powers, political parties and organizations. Here is Mayak commentator Aleksandr Ruvinskiy with the details.

[Correspondent] Twenty-eight people assembled at this Round Table in the Catherine Hall in the Kremlin. I would remind you that this meeting has been awaited with hope for quite a long time. And now, before the end of this year, the year of accord, it has taken place.

The session of the Round Table was opened by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and here is what he said in particular:

[Yeltsin] We decided to try out a new form of reaching democratic decisions on major state problems. Life will show whether it will succeed or not.

But there were proposals from committees and factions in the State Duma, from the Federation Council, from the government and from the leaders of our regions to hold such a Round Table where it would be possible to listen to each other, either on all the issues, or on some specific issue or some specific problem, to listen, set out points of view and then examine them.

If we reach a decision, that is good, but if we do not then, all the same, I think that we shall make some progress.

This hall has always been the venue for the most important meetings. Such a question as the question of land is very complicated and, of course, today will be a real test of our Round Table.

I will not try to guess what decisions will be taken today. I think that even after the discussions some disagreements will remain. But the main result will be seen by the whole of Russia: we are able to work together at the same table.

No matter how much we have argued, one thing is clear, land reform in Russia is already under way and is accelerating. It must be seen through. It is already too late to start to decide whether or not to put land into economic circulation. This question has been decided by life itself. Without putting land into economic circulation, it is not be possible to improve the situation in the country's economy. This is an objective law.

It is another matter what sort of market in land we shall have - a legal one, under strict state control, or a criminal one. This depends on what sort of Land Code we have.

Of course, apart from the Code there are still many other things missing. We have no land register, we have no developed system of control over the market in land, there is no mechanism for registering land deals, there are no laws on mortgages, on agricultural banks, on price formation and so on. And without these, even the very best Land Code will not be able to work normally.

Even if we now adopt the Land Code, we shall, all the same, not move the land reform forward immediately. To achieve this we need these minimum laws, without which it is impossible to work. There really is no register. Prices depend on the register, and so on.

Different views on how to implement the Land Code

Now, we must first decide what to do with the present version. I know that there are two positions on this. Some people say that it is necessary to sign the Code as it is, others say that is better not to sign it but look at other compromise variants. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between. I think that we should not rush.

Let us once again, calmly and attentively, look at the Code from one common point of view. Let each think about the interests of the state and not the interests of just some party or branch of power or faction.

What will such a Land Code provide for Russia and Russian statehood? Can it solve the present problems concerning land or will it create new ones? Will it strengthen the legal and economic space or, on the contrary, will it make new breaches in it.

If we stick to this point of view as the basis of our state policy, we can clearly see all the shortcomings of the Land Code. And we can see right away how to deal with these shortcomings.

I believe that we must restore [provision for the] state federal ownership of the land in the Land Code. Without this, the state cannot fully ensure the country's defence and security, protect its borders and develop a single infrastructure, [such as] transport and communications, and protect the environment.

Now, let's move on to the issue of private ownership. I shall not be surprised if some speakers say that the Land Code does not contain a ban on private ownership. But if you have a closer look, it turns out that an owner does not have a right either to sell his land, give it as a gift, or mortgage it.

Such provisions are simply not envisaged in the Land Code, they have been excluded. But what kind of private ownership is this? Of course, certain corrections need to be introduced here.

The second issue is how to put the land into economic circulation. We have diverse varieties of land in the regions. And I believe that, accordingly, we need to treat it I different ways.

Metropolitan and industrial land needs to be put into economic circulation urgently. This land constitutes three per cent of Russia's territory, but the benefits derived from its use for the actual reconstruction of the industry and the revival of our cities as well as for stability of our financial system is enormous.

As for agricultural land, the issue is more complicated. Nobody in the world has a completely liberal approach to buying and selling it. So, circulation of this land can be introduced only under firm state control.

Our task is to establish measures for carrying out that control, along with fundamental restrictions. Those measures, as a whole, are well known: a total ban on the sale or change of use of a plot of land in the first years after its acquisition; a restriction on the range of people entitled to acquire land - if you want to practise agriculture, you must demonstrate your skill and ability; and a ban on the sale of land to foreigners.

This list could be continued. We do already have something in the Land Code, but it is patently inadequate. We have to work out a realistic mechanism for state control and to draw up plans that are in line with federal laws. As you can see, there are a great many problems, and clearly we shall not sort them out in one go. Nevertheless, we have to take the first steps.

Source: Ostankino Radio Mayak, Moscow, in Russian 0909 gmt 26 Dec 97

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