WHY IS PRIVATIZATION AGENCY DRAFTING BILL ON NATIONALIZATION?

There was great surprise at the news that the State Property Committee (SPC), the Russian government agency set up for the express purpose of privatizing state property, had drafted a law on nationalization. (Segodnya, March 20 & 21; Izvestiya, March 23). It turns out that the SPC acted in an effort to forestall more draconian legislation drafted by the Russian Communist party. "In other words," Izvestiya commented, "the counterattack is being launched before the attack." According to press reports, the SPC’s draft states that the only enterprises that may be nationalized are those of strategic importance (that is, enterprises that would probably not have been privatized in the first place) and those that are polluting the environment. The SPC’s bill specifically rules out the nationalization of commercial banks, foreign property on Russian territory, land, and real estate. It also stipulates that, in the event of compulsory purchase, the state may not confiscate property but must pay its market value.

Zyuganov’s Foreign Policy Goals.