YEGOR STROYEV SCEPTICAL ABOUT SETTING UP OF "FEDERATION" GROUP








MOSCOW, March 14, 2001. /From RIA Novosti correspondent Maria Balynina/. Chairman of the Federation Council, or the upper house of the Russian parliament, Yegor Stroyev is sceptical about the setting up of a parliamentary group named Federation in the upper house: In his opinion, the group "does not really have any idea yet what its functions are going to be." The first session of the organising committee of the Federation group was held on Monday. So far, more than 80 deputies of the upper house have announced their intention to join the group.


	Members of the newly created group stress that they do not regard it as a faction and are not going to associate themselves with any party. At the same time, it is written in the group's regulations that its members can take a solidarity vote on key issues.


	Stroyev did not join the group, but he says its members asked his advice on several occasions.