DATE=9/15/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA / PARLIAMENT / KURSK (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-266553
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The Russian official in charge of the
investigation into the sinking of the nuclear
submarine Kursk faced a barrage of criticism Friday as
he addressed Russia's lower house of parliament, the
Duma. Moscow correspondent Eve Conant reports Russian
authorities admit rescue efforts were inadequate but
denied that there has been any deliberate
disinformation over the causes of the disaster.
TEXT: Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov explained to
angry lawmakers in the Russian Duma that the
government did not, in his words, "mislead anyone" in
its handling of the Kursk disaster.
The Kursk nuclear submarine sank to the bottom of the
Barents Sea in August, killing all 118 crewmen on
board. There is still no official explanation for the
disaster. Russian authorities have said it could have
been caused by a collision with a mine or a foreign
vessel, or possibly by an explosion inside the
submarine's torpedo compartment. A German newspaper
has said the Kursk was hit by friendly fire from a
Russian warship.
/// ACT KLEBANOV IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE UNDER ///
Deputy Prime Minister Klebanov says, "first we must
extract the bodies from the submarine and this will be
very complicated. Then there is the question of
raising the submarine from the seabed. Only when we
refloat the vessel will we have a final conclusion as
to what really happened."
Russian authorities say they plan to raise the Kursk
sometime next year.
But some Russian parliamentarians, such as Communist
lawmaker Vassily Shandybin, argued that the Kursk sank
after a collision with a U-S submarine and accused the
government of hiding the truth.
/// ACT SHANDYBIN IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE UNDER
///
He says, "Russia doesn't even have money for rescue
devices because everything has been stolen. Everyone
bears responsibility for the death of those on board
the submarine."
Lawmakers asked the deputy prime minister if he was
planning to resign, which he denied. He was also
asked why authorities claimed to have heard SOS
tapping signals coming from inside the submarine when
it first went down.
/// SECOND ACT KLEBANOV IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE
UNDER ///
Mr. Klebanov says, "I personally heard a tape
recording of a distinct knocking sound. We identified
this as a signal coming from inside the submarine but
now we believe it was most likely caused by a
mechanical device on board."
Several times Mr. Klebanov denied that there had been
any deliberate effort by the government to mislead the
Russian people and the international community. The
Itar-Tass news agency quotes the Russian official as
saying that even if some crewmembers had survived the
blasts onboard, the submarine sank too deep for any
rescue mission to have been successful. (Signed)
NEB/EC/KL/KBK
15-Sep-2000 09:16 AM EDT (15-Sep-2000 1316 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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