03.02.09

Russia calls for changing the operational standards of international ratings agencies and the system of their fees, Arkady Dvorkovich, an aide to President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with the Vesti Nedeli televised news and analysis program.

"Independent assessments are needed so that /different/countries could be able to take consolidated steps in counteracting the crisis," Dvorkovich said. "The problem is that that standards accepted by the international ratings agencies don't meet up-to-date requirements or the real situation or real values -- not only as regards Russia," Dvorkovich said.

"Discussion should also embrace new standards for paying those agencies' fees," he said. "It's important to revert to the situation where fees are paid by those who use the ratings, not by those who order them," he said.

As he mentioned Russia's participation in the Davos Economic Forum, Dvorkovich said Russia is turning into an equitable participant in international discussions of the plight of the economy.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's speech at the forum Wednesday produced differing assessments, he said.

"Many expected a more aggressive stance on our part but their expectations didn't come true," Dvorkovich admitted.

"The participants heard Russia's call for cooperation and for renouncing blunt populist solutions, like the sealing off of national economies or a vast expansion of the role of the state," he said.

"We don't have any goal of increasing the role of the state in the economy even in the conditions of the current crisis," Dvorkovich said. "We'll demand that businessmen assume a greater personal responsibility, while the state will not claim all responsibility for what is happening."

"However, socially oriented policies, maintenance of jobs, and the offering of new opportunities to the people will remain on the list of state policy priorities," he said.

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Source: Itar-Tass