RUSSIA: MOSCOW: GORBACHEV ATTENDS NEW SDP CONGRESS
(11 Mar 2000) Russian/Eng/Nat
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev on Saturday attended the Founding Congress of his new Social Democratic Party of Russia.
By coincidence, exactly fifteen years ago Mikhail Gorbachev was elected to the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).
The Congress is expected to approve the Party Rules, to elect a Political Committee, and to endorse a programme statement.
It was late last year when the former Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev spoke about setting up the Social Democratic Party of Russia.
On Saturday Gorbachev attended and spoke at the Founding Congress of his new party in Moscow.
Gorbachev will most likely be elected leader of the party.
Saturday is 15 years on from the day he was elected to the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).
He planned to rally the members of all the 12 now existing parties and organisations of social-democratic orientation in one united party.
The Congress has still to establish party rules and elect a Political Committee.
Gorbachev talked about freedom in Russia today.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"This (party) came about because we came from a system which went from non-freedom to freedom, which brought free elections, political pluralism, economic pluralism, freedom of expression. Its hard to imagine what life would be like without all these things."
SUPER CAPTION: Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president
During his time as president, Gorbachev pushed for the end of the cold war.
The then U-S President, Ronald Reagan surprised many by engaging with new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in serious arms-reduction talks.
Greatly aided by the escalating decline of the Soviet Union, Reagan made an important contribution to the end of the Cold War.
At the Founding Congress on Saturday, Gorbachev also spoke of the vital work carried out by reformists.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"After the cold war ended - although there were signs that relations were cooling off again - but that was an issue of using opportunities as they came along. But the end of the cold war was possible because of the work of the reformists of the Soviet Union. That was our (Soviet) initiative."
SUPER CAPTION: Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president
Political analyst Dmitry Trenin said their are two very different opinions on Gorbachev.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"People in the West associate Gorbachev with removing that danger, the threat, pressure as the case may be, that was associated with the Soviet Union. People in this country credit him....credit may be the wrong word, blame him for being the force of change that took away too much"
SUPER CAPTION: Dmitry Trenin, Political Analyst
Trenin added that Gorbachev will be remembered in years to come.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
" A couple of generations from now, Gorbachev will be regarded as one of the most honoured, one of the most, one of the most respected figures in Russian history and that will be his reward,"
SUPER CAPTION: Dmitry Trenin, Political Analyst
The congress may also determine the candidate, whom the new party will back during the upcoming presidential elections.
It is not ruled out that the congress will choose to back acting president Vladimir Putin.
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