 C00042348
 ZEditaid ~portj Moscow Television Service is Rus-
 aim at 19033 OM'I' an 17 November carries a 37-minute
 according of a saws cosilerenoe held an 13 November
 with Leonid Abalkin. deputy chairman of the USSR
 ? Council of Ministers, as the conclusion of the scientific
 and practical eoafereooe held in Moscow so discuss
 Soviet economic reform. Video shows Abdkin as tos-
 trum. An unidentified chairman opens the news eomfeo-
 eaoe~
 "Esteemed ladies and gent amen, we have invited you to
 a meeting in connection with the eomdusion of the
 alHmion scientific and practical conference an radical
 economic reform. This conference opened on Monday
 and ended today in the Hall of Columns of the House of
 the Unions." 'oday Academician Leonid Ivanovich
 Absikin, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
 Ministers, will share his impressions on the conference
 ~L        "
 Wi+~eat ~measures, Abnikin says, must be taken to impl -
 U
 meat economic reform, and these measures must be
 drawn up before the Congress. Taking part in the con-
 ference were experts in all fields, to discuss as openly as
 possible, with all possible opinions r+epi es anted, a
 nationwide program to take into account of all shades of
 opinion. '%=f=m t brealistic, comprehenssive,
 and bold.          ce yielded a great deal ofmate real
 over the 3 days it was held.
 The first question is from a TASS correspondent who
 asks about the basis for the theory of the transitional
 period.
 Abdkin says one main issue is how to move from a
 nomnarket economy to a market economy, bow to create
 the isdrastucui e. The program is based upon a critical
 evaluation of past experience, both in the USSR and
 abroad, a scientific and theoretical analysis was also
 made. All this went into the proposals advanced.
 A BTA correspondent asks about consensus on the issues
 discussed and on approaches to republican GRIMM
 y
 jue tioa from the FINANCIAL TIMES ( j I yM
 . piopam as a Rua of the coa>fereace7 Ii seemed
 tlbat toe readlon so your program was pretty
 Sotatmp. Do you agree with that st saaaeat?"
 ;~Abelkin asponds: "The conference yielded no
 usental chatepes, no errors s of any directions or
 of reform. Glonservat ve moods, horeever, turned col
 started. This perhaps inflects the general-a mwe i
 tinily different from the situation in the  'mmpr,
 this complex development of events: One cannot
 brush it aside, one must be ready for it.
 sections-work went on in eight sections, four m"
 tables, and over 200 people spoke-411 this most be
 looked at attentively, some interesting ideas. and am?:
 a
 fictions may evidently be found there. And only dies
 will it be possible to evaluate folly the quality of due
 discussions~"
 A Portuguese correspondent asks whether public opinion '
 might oppose the changes needed to emerge from
 impasse. The correspondent also asks what will be the
 rote of the congress.
 Absdkin responds that public opinion is vital; attempts
 have been made to play with public opinion and manip-
 ulate it. Public opinion must be mobilized-it is
 awaiting constructive measures and decisions. The cos-
 areas will certainly be very turbulent and contradictory.
 We must learn to listen and hood one another, we must
 overcome social .VuL    ."
 An Italian correspondent asks in English about opposi-
 tion in society to private ownership.
 Abolkin says the law on ownensbip, like the law on
 must be submitted for nationwide disausion?
 lion
 rata
 .As an economist, Abalkin says that it is very common for
 terms to be misunderstood, terminology is a sours of
 idstanding and therefore of tension. Terms suds
 as private ownership and cooperatives have been inter-
 preted in diffeent ways, giving rise to unnecessary
 polemic. We must not by to put over new thinking in the
 old terminology of the 19th Century.
 An EL PATS correspondent, in Russian.--asks:_'The---- -----
 newspaper EL PALS, Spain. I should like to learn about
 table convertibility--that is one point; then also about a
 system of rationing, and thirA, parallel money-
 Abolkin says consawu is impossible is such cases Fall
 agreement would mean stagnation in Winking. All
 aspects must be weighed and conclusions reached.
 Agreement an the basic fimdamentak was, Ire  her.
 amine. Without reform, we have an impasse. Coo-
 sensus in the sense elan understanding of the responsi-
 bnlity of the decisions to be made was thus readied.
 Financial autonomy mast be introduced in the republics
 from 1990, which leaves very little time. Huge price
 changes are impossible, but we are compelled to take
 interim measures to compensate until foil measures are
 implemented. The source of republican budgets have
 Approved for Re ease
 pate    -U6  91
 C00042348
 astral
 hh the lain _
 con
 IL
 to vas done
 MUNK four
 this so
 y the quality
 about
 a
 saiog~y ru a sounoe or
 rise to mneoearmr
 exnewthiniriagiodw
 ry
 lhweaa, alit `'ht
 mint; then also about s
 money"
 . parallel
 *ere is a seed for a Soviet table to be
 tb;phoe lies in at act that the WOOS-
 am
 oMeae a session of the Supreme Soviet and
 :~  lepoduoe Table convertibility as of i January. in
 we ....... have ":.h.:,. she
 p  e sgvdnre on the wMd mantel. We mist
 and at least what we call internal
 '.kpp  nlblil1ty. We must have well-trained protes-
 y lmb we must have a whole host of other conditions
 ;.Wi csenot be created jest by doom or administrative
 4pisioes made purely at will. This is the road we must
 - doaa.. But we must go down it aware of all its
 ample xltes. This must be the case at subsequent stages
 itlas move neat, as well.
 of rationing is, in my opinion, an unacoept-
 die pith. We acted the country's leading academics and
 eaaomists for an analysis of this problem and of the
 plwilhie economic and social consequences. We had
 rirtsspy total unanimity from than in their assessment
 of the inexpediency and of the socioeconomic unjudifi-
 d0y of such a move. It does not future in the program
 liar actions. If we succeed in implementing the steps
 that lave been mopped out in the course of this year and
 that Year. then this issue will have been removed from
 b '.'lion by the start of the i990's. if this program is
 aM implemented--if something prevents it from being
 anried through--and if by the end of 1990-by the start
 Ktbe 1990's we are unable to stabilize the situation in
 the country, then a system of rationing will be inevitable,
 hM cat will be the end of the reform.
 "Ihequestion of a parallel currency is a question that is
 apes to discussion. ft is open to discussion. There are
 11121111 and proposals on this score, but there has
 hies ao decision on this matter. There are pros and cons.
 his not adsr which outweigh which, or by how much.
 We need some more time to forma definite opinion, but
 Out is less than a mouth for this.-
 As APN correspondent asks about the difficulty of the
 druggist Oft of affairs and whether the population
 4pected to wait.
 republics must be even their chance: In 1990 they mum
 be hones of dhanq they mud show that things are
 -changing for the better.
 An ABC correspoodau, speaking in English with super-
 ihrrposed Russian tanslation, auk:: "President Hush has
 said that he wants peresttvyka to succeed. What steps
 would you like the United States to take in the economic
 sphere to help pare treyka succeed?"
 Absikin responds: "We must do most of the work
 ourselves. I remember what fah said about Poland and
 Hungary. He was quite tight, I think, when he said, as a
 wise and realistic politician, that the Poles and Humpr-
 ians themselves must bring their country out of eoo-
 nomic crisis, just like the Soviet people must do. We
 must do this ourselves. I am concernedmast by what
 must be done in our country in these matuts. A Of ---------
 what can be expected of the United States of America,
 which might be of assistance, I do not wish to develop
 this topic, because apart frouilhe most general concepts
 with which you have all long been familiar-decide the
 issue of the most-favoured nation system, remove some
 other restrictions- i shall not be enriching our knowl-
 edge with anything.-
 A (?HARLEMS DAGLAD) correspondent, speaking in
 Rusian, asks: "We did not all manage to follow the
 debates conducted at the conference. Could you perhaps
 tall us more specifically which points gave rise to the
 most negative reaction from the conservatives, and how
 do you reckon to break this opposition?"
 Abalkin answers: "We have a great deal of historical
 experience on how to break the opposition. (laughter in
 hail] Therefore, the main task is bow to learn to hold a
 dialogue with the opposition. The best way is to compel
 the conservatives to do battle with the radicals, while we
 get on calmly with the job at hand. [laughter] That would
 be the wisest solution, we have both radicals and conser-
 votives. At the shone time, we must take all the valuable
 and useful and sensible things offered by both of these,
 and include these in ourprogramme and get on along our
 own way. As for the sweets which came in for criticism,
 I would limit myself to just two approaches. Emotions
 carried over from meetings were present at the confer-
 em,- and there were also scientific discussions.
 "Everything starts at the very beginning: Should state
 property be left unaltered, or should we start to mod-
 ernize and renew, make it man flexible and start the
 process of dadatization, given labor collectives on this
 basis the freedom to decide matters independently and
 dMlkia saps everyone is waiting for an instant miracle. so elect their manager. Or should we maintain the system
 to tlro past, he says, it is at buses like this that reports of of administration by injunction. Should we move to a
 Uf s start circulating. We must convince public;, market with new laws of regulating it, with flexible and
 I    by means of the truth and nothing but the truth. mobile prices. Or should we as before keep prices unarn-
 an inevitable after huge Mu- biguously under harsh state control. A quite normal
 '41111
 gloat The u nfortumate mum be made aware of the state's process is under way, not a very pleasant one, but a
 maoern for their wall-being. We mum not give way to normal process of counterposing and weighing up and to
 "otions. The individual must be made to feel his own forth. At the same time-and this is also a very well
 ibility and the importance of this work. The known thing-the existence of any opposition :,compels
 LD20 174289
 Report) Moscow Television Service  Rus-
 GM, on 20 November begins                                                  a
 iy of the 20 November Sup~he Soviet
 ion in the Kremlin.
 principles oft   draft on ilk republian economic
 autonomy.
 The morning
 session open. He
 pkted this week,
 find its way into
 vided in time. Toda;
 submitted by deputies.
 At 1604 GMT, an uni
 Autonomy of the Baltic
 At 1620 GMT, Nis"
 original agenda set in
 work. Deputies have in
 General Prw*dvw
 At tl.
 report by trying to
 Abdkin takes the
 draft kw, which w
 variant of the IN
 submitted for
 seed for
 dwell on
 the law have
 be regional
 to develop
 kys strew
 and the
 certain
 and
 aamdyA
 not
 ban
 on. The republics tb
 social distribution of labor.
 Dome under a ministry or not.
 t ofthe Fcooossyle
 at its first rardiot AI
 drawn up and bas b
 ration. Abalkin stratus
 rtional approach. He I
 ipetence of the
 nselves mot 4
 kterpr
 idlers of i
 sian at 1635 GMT, ON 20 No            ber eontin cr
 recorded relay of the 20 Novem        Suprc
 morning session proceedings in the Kremlin.
 At 1635 gift, Abalkin states that wi  regan to
 %a.c a..a...an, .-.......v .', w.~.--------
 of the republics. The financial basis ~fwcalsoviets

