United Russia congress to hear Medvedev, Putin, adopt new program.

ST. PETERSBURG, November 21 (Itar-Tass) -- More than 600 delegates and
nearly 2,000 guests will take part in the 11th congress of the United
Russia party on Saturday, for the first time to be held in St. Petersburg.
The congress is to adopt a new fundamental policy document, but the main
statements are to be made by the country's top officials.
It is expected that President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin will participate in the congress's activities. In the
capacity of the party's leader Putin will address the audience with the
main report. It is going to be his first major statement after the
presidential message to the Federal Assembly.
United Russia congresses are one of the few floors where the president
and prime minister simultaneously share their ideas of the problems that
are most crucial for the nation. Starting from the constituent congress in
2001 Putin has addressed United Russia congresses four times. Last time it
was in April last year, when he agreed to lead the party without joining
its ranks. Dmitry Medvedev participated in United Russia congresses twice
- first in December 2007 in the capacity of first deputy prime minister
and candidate for the presidency, and then in April last year, when he was
already president.
The party's program the congress will be asked to discuss is extended
over ten years. Its motto is Russia - Preserve and Multiply, the chief of
the United Russia's Supreme Council, State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov,
said on the eve of the congress. He explained that the program implied
stability and development without radicalism and revolutions.
The document Gryzlov will present to the congress is based on the
Putin Plan and Strategy 2020, adopted back during the pre-crisis period,
and also on President Dmitry Medvedev's policy article Russia, Forward!
and the presidential message to the federal assembly. Gryzlov said the
program clearly defined the party's ideology as Russian conservatism.
"We believe that it is these ideological principles that will allow
for consolidating society, and this shows perfectly well where the party's
place is in the country's political spectrum," he said.
Gryzlov confirmed that the party had no intention of dropping the
strategic goals of Russia's development even in the critical situation.
Moreover, he believes that "in the current dramatic conditions faster
action must be taken along all key guidelines of modernization, and the
tasks of post-crisis recovery, formulated already now. A special section
of the program will be devoted to innovative development, Gryzlov said.
The congress will discuss the results of implementing quite a few
party projects, introduce amendments to the rules and elect a new Supreme
Council. The term of office of the current one is expiring this year. It
is expected that the party's Rules will be completed with provisions for
primaries - preliminary voting to be held in order to form election lists,
and also on United Russia's mandatory participation in election debates.
On Friday, on the eve of the congress, St. Petersburg hosted a
national media forum, where United Russia party, and also representatives
of the executive branch of power, experts, political scientists and
economists held the zero reading of the whole agenda in an informal way.
On Saturday, just before the opening of the congress, there will be an
international forum entitled Social Responsibility of Parties During the
Crisis. Representatives of some 30 delegations from Russia's near
neighbors and other countries have been invited to attend. It is expected
that at this meeting agreements on cooperation between United Russia and a
number of foreign parties will be signed.
The 11th congress of the United Russia party resumes the practice of
on-site conferences. Before, United Russia held congresses in
Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk, but this is the first time the congress is
to take place in the hometown of the party's leader - St. Petersburg. This
time the delegates have been invited to the LenEXPO exhibition complex on
the Vasilievsky Island - the customary site of the prestigious
International Economic Forum. Gryzlov said the choice was not accidental.
"Bearing in mind that the fundamental question on the congress's
agenda will be connected with economic policies, we believed it would be
important to meet on the same floor," he said.
Gryzlov does not rule out that even the large hall at LenEXPO, housing
2,000 will be unable to accommodate all guests, who, according to his
estimates, number 3,000. Yet, the organizers are not over-dramatizing the
situation. Those who will have to stay outside the main hall will be able
to follow the proceedings in the main lobby on huge video screens.
Gryzlov is certain that the climate at the congress will be
"boisterous."
The United Russia congress events will be covered by more than 700
Russian and foreign journalists, who for the first time ever in the
history of party forums have received accreditation badges with built-in
microchips. It is not ruled out that this time the participants and guests
will see some new creative decoration solutions in the conference hall. On
all previous occasions the ruling party managed to introduce some
exclusive flavor to the design of places selected for its high-profile
events.

-0-str