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Moscow Times
April 21, 2004
Power Agencies Next in Line for Reform
By Simon Saradzhyan and Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writers

Several power agencies and the Foreign Ministry are scrambling to draft restructuring plans in line with a Kremlin-ordered reform aimed at turning bureaucracy into a slim, efficient machine.

However, while voicing a readiness for reform, none of the agencies will welcome dramatic staff cuts or mergers with other agencies, said officials interviewed Tuesday.

In addition to the Foreign Ministry, the agencies involved are the Interior Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Emergency Situations Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service.

President Vladimir Putin, in an indication that he is trying to kickstart the reform, told the Cabinet on Monday that he has begun "to work with heads of the power agencies on appropriate changes."

The power agencies, which report directly to Putin, have yet to follow the example of the economic and social ministries in downsizing themselves. Those ministries, which report to the prime minister, have been left with two deputy ministers each and are laying off hundreds of employees.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was the first to publicly respond to Putin's call, saying Tuesday he will cut his number of deputies from the current nine. But he made it clear that he will not settle for two, as that would prevent the ministry from "functioning efficiently."

Ivanov earlier ruled out any large-scale changes at the ministry. The Defense Ministry oversees some 1 million soldiers but employs only about 1,000 in its central staff, according to Ivanov.

Interior Ministry officials seemed responsive to reform Tuesday, but also made it clear that they would rather not end up with just two deputy ministers from the current nine. "It is not quite clear how to do that, given that each deputy supervises a key direction of our work," an Interior Ministry official said.

The official, who declined to be identified, said top ministry brass are considering several proposals, including one that would split the ministry into several independent entities including the federal police, the municipal police and a national guard. A final proposal will be submitted to Putin in May, he said.

Similarly, the Emergency Situations Ministry, which employs 300,000 people, is prepared to downsize but on a smaller scale than the economic and social agencies, spokeswoman Marina Ryklina said. Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu, who has 10 deputies, has already submitted a proposal to Putin, she said, but declined to discuss it.

She noted, though, that the ministry's central staff was cut by a third last year.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Troyansky said a restructuring is already under way, but would not give any details. "The minister has already said that there will be changes, and there will be staff reductions," Troyansky said.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has 12 deputies.

Unlike the other power agencies, the Justice Ministry has not only presented its plan but has already begun implementing it. Last month, Justice Minister Yury Chaika announced that his staff will be slashed by two-thirds, from 1,700 to 560, and the number of ministry departments will be cut from 26 to nine.

Spokesmen at the FSB and Foreign Intelligence Service said they are unaware of whether any reforms were being drafted by their agencies.

However, one proposal reportedly being floated around government circles envisions the FSB taking over the Foreign Intelligence Service and Federal Guard Service in a merger that would finish the restoration of the KGB, which was split into several agencies after the Soviet breakup. The new entity would be called the National Security Ministry, Ren-TV quoted State Duma sources as saying Monday.

Under the proposal, the Defense Ministry would become the Military Security Ministry, while the Interior Ministry and Emergency Situations Ministry would be merged into the Public Security Ministry. Also, a Defense Industry Ministry would be set up to oversee the agencies and services that supervise the defense industry and arms exports.

The power agencies and the Foreign Ministry should not be forced to adopt the same reforms as the civil agencies, said Alexander Pikayev, an independent defense analyst. "There has to be a differentiated approach. Cutting the number of deputy foreign ministers to two, for example, would force those two to live at the airport, since protocol requires that a deputy foreign minister welcome high-ranking guests," he said.