Putin moves to calm concerns
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Putin: The arrest of Khodorkovsky is "nothing exceptional."
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A political crisis erupts after the jailing of Khodorkovsky.
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MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin tried on Tuesday to calm worries about government interference in business, triggered by the arrest of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
"In the United States too in the last two years a score of company bosses have been called before the courts," Putin told the newspaper Corriere della Sera in an interview published on the day he was due to begin a visit to Italy.
"But nothing extraordinary happened and no one questioned the existence of the rule of law. For us too, it is nothing exceptional. It's that previously, those who had money did not end up in front of a court."
Khodorkovsky, arrested on October 25 on charges of tax evasion and fraud, quit on Monday as head of the oil group Yukos.
The case spread alarm in the financial community and has also fueled concern about the security of private property rights in Russia.
Putin told Corriere that the Kremlin was merely trying to enforce the law.
"When the vast assets of the state were split up, the people involved got the idea that they could live forever under their own rules," he said. "Instead now we must show that everyone must respect the laws of the country."
Putin reiterated comments published by the Italian news agency ANSA late on Monday that he would "categorically oppose" moves to review the 1990s sell-off of Russia's state assets, saying the process could be criticized but "going back would have very negative effects for the economy and society."
He also said his government would "continue along the lines of reforms and the market economy."
Copyright 2003
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
