August 01, 2008	Friday	Rajab 28, 1429

MOSCOW, July 31: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed frustration on Thursday over his government’s inability to break the vicious circle of red tape and corruption which he said was hampering small businesses.

Medvedev, who took office in May, has promised to ensure the “rule of law” and make the economy more stable and life easier for small and medium-size businesses, which he wants to become major drivers of economic growth.

“One of the first decrees I signed after taking office was a decree scrapping administrative limitations on business activities,” Medvedev told an ad-hoc meeting of government and local officials in the central Russian town of Gagarin.

“We made the first step and that’s it. Nothing else,” the 42-year-old former lawyer, known for his gentle manners, added barely hiding his anger.

Medvedev’s predecessor, Vladimir Putin, presided over the longest Russian economic boom in a generation, driven by high prices for oil and gas, Russia’s biggest exports.—Reuters