ITS 70.  YEAR OLD ANNIVERSARY BECOMES MIKHAIL GORBACHEV IN THE SET OF
300 FRIENDS COMMITTING








MOSCOW, 2 March.  / RIA "Nowosti" Korr. /.  Its 70jaehriges
anniversary will commit the first and only president of the USSR
Mikhail Gorbatschow today in the set of 300 friends in the Muscovite
hotel " Grand Marriott ".

As one indicated in the pressedienst of the Gorbachev fund, the
invitations had been sent away to the receipt mainly to the close
friends.

Gorbachev was always and accompanied everywhere by its wife Raisa
Maximowna.  But already for the second time Mikhail Sergejewitsch
commits his birthday without it.  It separated in September 1999 from
the life.  And the loading completely determines their think of.

The previous evening Mikhail Sergejewitsch said during a scientific
conference, which was dedicated to the results of the Perestroika, in
retort of the replication of the Politologen Wjatscheslaw Nikonow
about the fact that in the anniversary celebrations " a glass of
Kognak is missing to him " that " it will give Kognak tomorrow, and
not a glass ".  That gave the cause to the journalists to assume that
Gorbachev, whom one had called for those sadly well-known anti-alcohol
campaign the " mineral secretary " took parting in this regard finally
from his party past.

In the pressedienst one indicated that Mikhail Sergejewitsch from
12.00 to 16,00 o'clock will receive the congratulations in the
Gorbachev fund.  There one said not, who will come concretely, in
order to congratulate to the Jubilar, and stressed one only that to
the anniversary of the USSR president the former vice-Federal
Chancellor Hans Dietrich Genscher had come.  Meanwhile congratulations
telegrams began to the father of the Perestroika from Russia and the
foreign country of statesmen and society politicians, writers,
scientists, to already be received simple citizen and whole
collectives some days before the anniversary.

In the Gorbachev fund one emphasized that Mikhail Sergejewitsch
celebrates his anniversary in good form.  Gorbachev, which is today a
chairman of the Russian united social-democratic party, explained
these days a strong, energetic people's party to the journalists that
its main mission consists today of it, to create the party of young
people.  It underlined at the same time that it has no more intention
of setting up its candidacy with the parliament and the presidency
elections.

How also it is today nobody becomes with committing the anniversary of
the last Secretary-General of the CPSU - " the steering and prominent
strength of the Soviet society, the first and only president of the
USSR the thesis over the fact to disprove to be able that it in the
history of our country a whole epoch - Gorbachev epoch - gave.