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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Berezovsky Shows His Ire

6 March, 1999 - 00:00

By Vitaly PORTNYKOV, The Day
No sooner than Boris Yeltsin checked into the hospital and Yevgeny Primakov
to a health spa, as one more participant of the great Russian political
roulette, Boris Berezovsky, appeared in public opining on the future life
of the country and state. What made Mr. Berezovsky's meeting with the press
even more interesting was that after the law-enforcement bodies' actions
against Sibneft [Siberian Oil] and close associates of his in Aeroflot,
Berezovsky had largely kept silent, perhaps waiting for the President's
reaction. Now it is clear that he got what he was waiting for: at least
he regarded the President's statement of willingness to work with the Prime
Minister until the year 2000 and Primakov's dismal face as evidence of
coolness between the President and Prime Minister.

Berezovsky has to hurry. While Primakov is on vacation and the servants
are guessing at whether this vacation is political or for the old gentleman's
health, it is important for Mr. Berezovsky to make the danger of the government's
course known, along with the erroneous nature of Prime Minister's initiatives
and fundamental divergence of Yeltsin's and Primakov's opinions. And it
is most important to show that he is not afraid to say all this. For this
is the only opportunity to refute the rumors of Berezovsky's immanent dismissal
as CIS Executive Secretary by Primakov's team and his replacement by First
Deputy Premier Vadim Gustov. The presidents of CIS states could do a favor
for the Russian Prime Minister in power, but if they suspect that Berezovsky
still is in Yeltsin's or his closest aids' good graces, Primakov should
not count on Berezovsky's retirement, the more so that Berezovsky, being
true to his principles, left the smoky trace behind him when four years
ago he accused Russian secret police of the murder of famed television
journalist Vladislav Listiev. At one time, right after the murder, newspapers
named Berezovsky himself among those involved.

Moscow

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