Transcript of the conference:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,

Today we are going to review the work of the Federal Operative Headquarters for the liquidation of the aftermath of the aggression unleashed by the Georgian leadership on the Republic of South Ossetia.

Right off, I would like to thank all those who took part in bringing relief to the people and taking early action to rebuild the republic. As a result, a humanitarian catastrophe has been prevented and many lives have been saved.

Let me note that in addition to the federal authorities, practically all the Russian regions, many non-governmental organisations and individuals have given support to South Ossetia.

Our rescue workers, medical professionals, builders and specialists from all the services and agencies have acted efficiently and professionally, and displayed such sterling human qualities as courage, compassion and a readiness to come to the assistance of victims.

I would like to ask the heads of agencies to make proposals on how to recognize the efforts of the best workers.

A huge amount of work has been done: hospitals and temporary accommodation for refugees were promptly made available, and delivery of water, food and humanitarian cargoes was organised. People were not discriminated against on the basis of nationality: humanitarian relief was brought, among others, to the inhabitants of the villages located on Georgian territory.

By now the situation on the whole has been stabilised, practically all the refugees, with a few exceptions have returned to the Republic; according to our data, about 2,000 people are still to return home. The victims are being paid social benefits, including compensation for their property. Distribution of building materials among households has been organised. The new school year began without delay; by September 1 most school buildings were repaired, new furniture and textbooks had been delivered.

In Tskhinvali, broadcasting and telephone services are working, power supplies to the main social amenities have been restored, and gas and water supplies are in order. The gas distribution network is 96% ready for full-scale operation.

The interdepartmental commission for aid in the reconstruction and socio-economic development of the Republic of South Ossetia will continue its work. We should also discuss today the tasks facing the commission, and I would like you to pay special attention to meeting the deadlines for completing the repair work; all the repairs must be completed in the next few months, especially of the housing, the social facilities and utilities.

At the same time we, and especially the people of the Republic of South Ossetia, the republic which has survived not only aggression but many years of blockade perpetrated by its neighbour - Georgia, know that the economy of the republic and the social sphere need long-term reconstruction programmes. This is true of infrastructure, the social sphere and the economy as a whole. Russia for its part will render South Ossetia the necessary assistance in meeting these challenges.

Let us discuss all these matters in more substance and detail.

I give the floor to Sergei Shoigu, the Minister for Civil Defence, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief.

Sergei Shoigu: Mr Putin, colleagues,

As a consequence of Georgia's use of modern weapons against communities in South Ossetia 2,522 residential buildings have been destroyed, of which 1,121 cannot be repaired. The social infrastructure, the housing and utilities have been practically destroyed and the living environment for tens of thousands of people has been disrupted.

Specifically, 29 educational institutions, 17 health institutions, 10 transport facilities, 68 km of gas pipelines, 160 km of water supply lines and 458 km of power supply lines have been destroyed. A flood of refugees, mainly the wounded, women, children and elderly people, numbering over 34,000, headed for the Russian Federation; more than 1,000 refugees from Georgia's interior parts also headed for the borders of the Russian Federation. The situation verged on a humanitarian catastrophe.

In accordance with your instructions issued on August 9, urgent work was organised to receive and accommodate refugees and give medical assistance to the wounded and the victims. An air-mobile hospital was deployed in the Alagiri district of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, where the main flood of refugees was directed. Tent camps with 2,000 places for temporary accommodation of refugees were set up. All in all, 61 temporary accommodation centres were set up in eight regions in the Southern Federal District, where forced settlers from South Ossetia were provided with all the necessities.

The Federal Operational Headquarters organised control and coordination of the activities of the federal bodies of executive power, the Russian regions and organisations that delivered relief and engaged in other activities.

Thus, all that was necessary to accommodate and receive refugees, provide life support, services and medical treatment was done in the first three days.

Almost simultaneously work began directly on the territory of South Ossetia. By August 12 a task force of over 3,000 people was organised for rescue work and other urgent work. The core of the task force are mobile units, pyrotechnical units of the civil defence troops, air mobile hospitals, an aviation unit and units of the Russian Interior Ministry, Spetsstroi, the Ministry of Health and Social Development and other federal executive power bodies.

The rescuers immediately started delivering and unloading humanitarian relief cargoes, clearing the debris, providing the population with food and water. Work to inspect and restore life support systems was launched. The pyrotechnical units of the Ministry for Emergencies found and defused more than 2,700 explosive devices, including three aviation bombs in the school grounds in the village of Dzhava.

The Interior Ministry forces took measures to ensure law and order in the humanitarian operation area as well as escorted the convoys with refugees and cargoes, which made it possible to deliver refugees and cargoes safely.

With the healthcare system destroyed, delivery of medical assistance to the population was organised. Two hospitals performed more than 140 surgeries, rendered assistance to more than 1,000 victims, psychologists gave emergency assistance to about 7,000 people, including more than 1,000 children.

In parallel, work proceeded to restore medical institutions and to bring assistance to the weak and the elderly. Two buildings of the republican hospital, medical centres at educational and preschool centres have been set up. Medical supplies are being delivered to the population through a network of mobile pharmacies. More than 100 tons of medical supplies and over 30 tons of medical equipment have been delivered to the republic.

The work of the bread factory was restored early on. By August 19 it was producing 14 tons of bread a day, which is more than before the war.

Work has been organised to restore the main utilities and infrastructure systems. On the 90-km water supply pipeline, 2,150 water leaks have been repaired. Centralised water supply has been restored. At present the amount of water delivered to the city of Tskhinvali exceeds the prewar figure.

Field kitchens have been deployed, and have already issued more than 20,000 hot meals. Supply of necessities, personal hygiene objects, baby food and utilities services has been organised.

The main power transmission lines and city electrical grids have been restored. The transformer substation in the city of Tskhinvali is operating normally. Repair of gas facilities is nearing completion, 96% of the city gas distribution system is in place.

To meet the day-to-day needs of the population, centres for the distribution of liquefied gas have been organised. By now more than 94 tons of gas have been made available to households. By the end of August conditions were created for the refugees to start returning home. As of today there are no refugees in temporary accommodation centres outside South Ossetia, and 2,000 refugees have been given shelter by their relatives in North Ossetia.

Priority has been given to restoring schools to ensure a timely start of the new school year. For the purpose of organising the teaching process more than 64,000 school textbooks, books and other literature, 72 specialised physics, chemistry, biology, geography and computer classes as well as the necessary furniture and equipment have been delivered. A two-month stock of food for schools and preschool childcare centres has been delivered. All that made it possible to start teaching more than 4,000 schoolchildren and about 400 university students on September 1.

At present 11 kindergartens and 17 schools, two university buildings, art and music schools have been restored in South Ossetia. Beginning from September 1, 15 cadets and students from South Ossetia have been studying at the Ministry for Emergencies higher education institutions. Similar work has been conducted by the Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

To provide housing for the people who have been left homeless three stationary accommodation centres with the necessary infrastructure have been established in the city of Tskhinvali. Tents are being distributed for temporary accommodation while repairs are being done. Broadcasting, communication, postal services and the Internet have been restored. Pursuant to your instructions, three Internet centres have been set up.

Centres that provide building materials for the restoration of housing have been opened. Today all the necessary conditions have been created for the people who are returning. For the purposes of restoring houses, 43,880 square metres of glass, 250,684 square metres of roofing materials and more than 200 tons of other building materials have been distributed among the population, which made it possible for builders and the local people to repair 398,000 square metres of housing.

A large amount of work has been done in the way of social protection of the citizens, lump sum allowances have been paid to the people who lost their property, targeted assistance is being rendered to non-working pensioners who are citizens of the Russian Federation. Passenger transport links have been restored on the territory of South Ossetia. Rescue teams together with traffic police are working in shifts to render assistance in case of road accidents. The fire service is on round-the-clock alert having been reinforced with 10 fire crews from the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations.

To provide the population with everything that is necessary and to restore the infrastructure, more than 11,500 tons of humanitarian cargoes have been sent to South Ossetia. These include about 2,500 tons from the federal executive power bodies, over 8,000 tons from the Russian regions, over 230 tons from non-governmental organisations and more than 600 tons from international organisations and foreign countries. Rosrezerv promptly sent food, hydrocarbons, building and other materials worth a total of 128 million roubles to the disaster zone. The total cost of priority work exceeds 2 billion roubles.

I can report that the threat of a humanitarian disaster in South Ossetia has been liquidated through the efforts of the federal and regional executive power bodies. All the ministries and agencies that were included in the Federal Operational Headquarters have fulfilled their tasks. All the life support systems have been restored, the social situation has been stabilised and people are returning to their permanent places of residence.

The new stage that is beginning now will see the planned repair of the social infrastructure and housing. Further work of the Ministry for Emergencies will be aimed at bringing relief to South Ossetia, forming the structures of civil defence prevention and liquidation of emergency situations and ensuring fire safety. To this end the necessary technology and equipment are being transferred and members of the government of the Republic of South Ossetia are being trained in corresponding fields. That is all.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

You have said that humanitarian cargoes have been delivered from other countries and international organisations. Which countries? I see on the display here Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Jordan. Is that right? And among the international organisations, is it the UN?

Sergei Shoigu: The international organisations include the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Organisation, the World Food Programme as well as the International Red Cross.

The issue of evaluating and delivering humanitarian relief through the United Nations Humanitarian Department and some other international organisations outside the UN are being discussed.

Vladimir Putin: I see. Thank you.

Mr Nurgaliyev, how was the safety of refugees on Russian territory and the safe delivery of cargoes organised? And how do you propose to organise the work to help your colleagues in the Republic of South Ossetia?

Rashid Nurgaliyev: Mr Putin, colleagues,

From the early hours of the conflict the Russian Interior Ministry set up an operational headquarters to bring humanitarian relief to the people of South Ossetia. Similar headquarters were set up by the Federal Migration Service of Russia, the Main Interior Troops Committee of the Russian Interior Ministry, and the Interior Ministry of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. All the headquarters were engaged in delivering humanitarian assistance. A complex of practical measures has been carried out.

Interior troops assumed guard duty at airports in the cities of Mozdok and Beslan, at seven tunnels and bridges, and a field hospital of the Emergency Medical Centre of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies in Tskhinvali. Security at the 68th Defence Ministry arsenal has been tightened. On August 14 an operational Interior Ministry troops unit was redeployed to Tkhinvali, and a field control point of the North Caucasus Regional Command Operational Group was established. Simultaneously a special Interior Troops unit was dispatched. Interior Troops have escorted 75 convoys with humanitarian cargoes from Vladikavkaz to Tskhinvali.

In the period between August 8 and 23, 34,589 South Ossetian citizens left South Ossetia. In the period from August 8 to September 15, 1,104 citizens of the Russian Federation and 20 Georgian citizens left Georgia through the crossing point of Verkhny Lars on the state border. During the same period that same crossing point was used to hand over 104 Georgian citizens to the Georgian side. 464 Georgian citizens have applied for refugee status.

The Federal Migration Service of Russia is registering victims according to "1-Ch-S" form, and the electronic database contains 33,392 names.

To deliver social support to the victims in parts of the Southern Federal District, 61 temporary accommodation centres have been set up where 5,956 people stayed. All the people from the temporary accommodation centres in the Southern Federal District have returned to their homes.

Beginning from August 12, the population of South Ossetia dropped by 32,866. Today the registration of citizens under the "Family Registration in South Ossetia" scheme is underway.

As of September 15 this year 12,130 families, or 22,953 people, have been registered. To ensure law and order on the territory of the Republic of North-Ossetia-Alania and to tighten the security of key facilities and life support amenities, more than 2,000 personnel have been brought in. The state traffic police are also carrying out a large amount of work.

As of September 15, 398 organized transport convoys, including 131 convoys of military equipment and 88 convoys with humanitarian cargoes as well as 58 convoys with refugees have been escorted across the territory of North Ossetia.

The Ministry is rendering practical assistance to the republic's interior bodies in restoring control of the forces and assets of the South Ossetian Interior Ministry as well as the ministry's troops. To this end a temporary control centre has been functioning in Tskhinvali since August 12. 227 personnel as well as the necessary material, technical and radio communications assets have been sent to South Ossetia.

The Russian Interior Ministry is rendering the necessary help to enable the Interior agencies of South Ossetia to restore full-scale operation. The total sum of material and technical resources delivered to the Republic has reached almost 146 million roubles. Before the end of the year a further 170 million roubles or more is to be disbursed for these purposes. The restoration of 10 administrative buildings of the South Ossetian Interior agencies will cost an estimated 266,100,000 roubles.

At present building and reconstruction work is being conducted at nine facilities, involving 113 workers and 22 items of equipment. All this work has been contracted out. To assist with the training of personnel 21 Russian citizens living in South Ossetia have been enrolled at special Russian Interior Ministry schools.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation will assist the Ministry of the Interior of South Ossetia in restoring a full-fledged system of Interior agencies so that they could start fulfilling their functions of ensuring law and order, and will assist in the planned reconstruction and building of administrative premises for the interior agencies.

I can report that all the instructions and orders of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation issued to the Interior Ministry have been fulfilled without fail. That is all. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Ms Golikova, please. How is the work of the Ministry of Health and Social Development going?

Tatyana Golikova: The Ministry has carried out priority measures to deliver medical assistance and social support to the victims of the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict.

A working group on coordinating medical assistance and social rehabilitation of the citizens of South Ossetia was set up on August 9.

Surgical teams have been on round-the-clock duty at the medical institutions in the Southern Federal District, an additional 2,739 beds were deployed plus 1,155 beds in preventative clinical centres in North Ossetia. A multi-purpose hospital of the All-Russia Emergency Medicine Centre "Zashchita" under the Ministry of Health and Social Development has been sent to the conflict zone. The accommodation of refugees from South Ossetia in the regions of the Southern Federal District at health spas and temporary accommodation centres is being constantly monitored. Medical services and control of the sanitary-epidemiological situation have been organised.

Between August 8 and September 16, 2008 stationary medical centres in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania have provided medical assistance to 1,069 people, including 844 adults and 225 children. 115 people, including 14 children, 18 wounded people, 78 therapeutic patients, and 19 maternity patients are in stationary hospitals.

As of September 16, 773 people have checked out of preventative clinical institutions. 29 people have been transferred to the military hospital in Vladikavkaz and 74 people to other clinical and preventative centres. 154 pregnant women have been registered, 41 women have given birth. 32 women, 17 of whom were about to give birth, have entered the obstetrics stationary centre bypassing maternity counseling. 78 pregnant women are registered with outpatient maternity centres.

Over this period 60 people have been sent to the clinics of the Ministry of Health and Social Development from South Ossetia for high-technology medical assistance. Of these, 18 have already returned home.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development has sent more than 30 tons of medical supplies and 23 ambulances to South Ossetia. Commissions to monitor the acceptance and storage of medicines and medical equipment have been set up.

It has been decided to deliver targeted social assistance to 5,470 pensioners and the payment of pensions has been resumed. In August 2,178 people received pensions in the Republic of South Ossetia. 247 vouchers have been issued to children from the Georgian-South Ossetia conflict zone for treatment at health spas and camps.

The clinical preventative centres in North Ossetia have issued 15 birth certificates. The Ministry has approved a schedule for restoring priority health and social infrastructure amenities.

At present all the social amenities and health institutions are functioning with the exception of a home for the elderly and the disabled called "Zabota", a kitchen and a mortuary which are being designed as modular structures.

In accordance with the schedule, repairs at the infectious diseases unit of the republican hospital were started on September 15. As of this morning planned restoration work has started at all the facilities. We are working within the reconstruction work schedule.

That is all.

Vladimir Putin: How do you propose to organise the provision of pensions and social benefits to citizens of the Russian Federation who permanently reside in South Ossetia?

Tatyana Golikova: This work was well organised in the previous period, when the situation in South Ossetia deteriorated. We have managed, together with the Government of North Ossetia to restore this work and at present social benefits and pensions are being regularly paid out in North Ossetia and South Ossetia, and we do not expect any surprises. All the work is proceeding according to plan.

Vladimir Putin: That is good. At the same time, I would like to remind you that the status of South Ossetia for us has changed. South Ossetia is for us an independent sovereign state and we must build our relations at a high technological level and with due regard for international law.

Tatyana Golikova: Yes. We will prepare an agreement on social security in the framework of bilateral relations soon.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Mr Shchegolev, Minister of Communications and Media.

How are communications in the republic functioning? How is radio and television broadcasting? What are the prospects? How do you propose to work with your colleagues in the future?

Igor Shchegolev: All the tasks aimed at restoring the communications and media infrastructure in South Ossetia set by the President of Russia, the Prime Minister and the Federal Headquarters are being addressed promptly with the use of modern means.

South Ossetian and Russian engineers have provided the peacekeepers with communication means. First of all, direct communication channels have been established with Moscow as well as with refugees in the places where they are accommodated, and with the control bodies and organisations involved in relief efforts. The basic communications infrastructure has been restored and improved, the population has access to telecommunications and the mass media.

Let me stress that the first basic stations that had been knocked out were restored as early as August 9, then four mobile stations were installed. The high point of this work was the building of a permanent core station at the southern end of the Roki Tunnel.

Fixed telephone lines, telephones in the barracks and on the test range of the peacekeeping forces were restored in the first three days of the conflict; by August 25 the fire service, the police and ambulance services had telephone communications. At present eight schools and five kindergartens have been hooked up to the fixed telephone network.

The Tskhinvali-Moscow communication channel has been established on schedule, a long-distance telephone centre, and a telegraph centre have been set up. In the refugee accommodation centres in North Ossetia and other regions, 448 home and public phones have been set up and more than 200,000 roubles worth of telephone cards have been issued to the population; video conferencing channels for the Emergencies Ministry have been organised.

On August 15 a high-speed communications channel became available through the "Tskhinvali-1" equipment complex for the Defence Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry and other users. The Tskhinvali-2 station ensures video conferencing at the request of the Defence Ministry and the Tskhinvali-3 station caters to special users.

Postal services are provided by two mobile offices deployed in Tskhinvali and Dzhava as early as August 17. Premises for a post office that will have telephones, a long-distance telephone service and an Internet access point are being prepared in Tskhinvali. By the start of the school year three schools got Internet access, and that work is continuing.

An important factor in preventing panic has been the prompt delivery of information on the current situation by restoring television and radio services; you will find details in our report. Special thanks are due to the Russian media, in the first place Rossiiskaya Gazeta, which quickly organised the issue of a specialised publication "Vladikavkaz-Tskhinvali," from which the local population as well as members of the peacekeeping forces could promptly learn about the measures being taken to bring the situation in the country back to normal.

We are currently working actively with our colleagues to establish local television and radio broadcasting and issue printed media.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Transport infrastructure has also sustained heavy damages. Mr Levitin, how is work going?

Igor Levitin: Since August 8 the organisations under the jurisdiction of the Transport Ministry and transport companies have been actively involved in providing transport services in connection with the armed conflict. The main link between North and South Ossetia is provided by the strategic Trans-Caucasus line. Timely measures to repair and develop the road network have enabled unobstructed movement of convoys of vehicles with refugees, the wounded, the sick, humanitarian cargoes, convoys of military vehicles, including caterpillar vehicles.

The automobile transport organisations in North Ossetia have worked round the clock evacuating civilians from Tskhinvali and other communities.

Immediately after the end of hostilities Rosavtodor and design institutes inspected the road surface all along the way and diagnosed all the man-made structures. The damage to the road network amounted to about 2 billion roubles.

We have developed a schedule of priority measures to restore the roads in the republic. Simultaneously we set up a factory producing bitumen for road surfaces, which speeded things up.

After the end of hostilities we set about putting the Trans-Caucasus road in order. The road surface has been repaired, the shoulders are currently under repair and road signs are being put up. A joint commission of road services, the traffic police and other organisations concerned inspected the Vladikavkaz-Tskhinvali road and drew up corresponding statements; regular bus service has been restored between Vladikavkaz and Tskhinvali and other communities in the Republic of South Ossetia.

Road experts have repaired the bus terminal in Tskhinvali, paved the bus station, delivered and are assembling 25 bus stops along the routes.

Because practically the entire Tskhinvali bus fleet was destroyed during the fighting the Transport Ministry jointly with the Russian regions and businesses donated about 30 buses, including some school buses, to the Government of South Ossetia.

The Ministry considers the creation of a modern transport infrastructure in the Republic of South Ossetia to be a priority task. We propose to build a system of core roads and alternative types of transport. The airports in the Southern Federal District have operated without interruptions.

The necessary stocks of aviation fuel have been created, part of it coming from Rosrezerv bases. By agreement with the federal agencies concerned it was decided to repair the runway at Vladikavkaz airport between October 1 and 15. Russian Railways has made available 120 passenger cars. During the said period a lot of military cargoes have been carried by rail, and 8,000 tons of cargoes have been carried by road.

The Ministry has prepared and duly submitted proposals to ensure stable transport communications with South Ossetia.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Mr Sinyugin, Deputy Energy Minister, what is the state of affairs in your sphere?

Vyacheslav Sinyugin: Before the armed conflict, the Republic of South Ossetia, with the exception of the Leninogorsk District, was supplied with electricity by Russia. The first to be restored after the conflict were the main 110 kilovolt transmission lines, substations and other facilities that bring power to critical amenities in Tskhinvali: the hospital, the bread factory, the television centre and so on. Power supply to households in the city of Tskhinvali, the Tskhinvali district and the Znaur District has been fully restored too.

A total of about 300 km of power transmission lines, four big power transformers and 66 transformer points have been restored and repaired with the participation of the North Caucasus interregional power distribution company.

Before the conflict gas came from Georgian territory via the long-distance pipeline to Tskhinvali while other communities were supplied with liquefied gas. As a result of hostilities gas supply systems have been damaged, much of the equipment is unusable and gas supplies have stopped. Before transit gas was fed, temporary supply of households with liquefied gas was organised, the city gas distribution station was restored and key social facilities were prepared to receive gas. The gas pipeline is about to be pressure-tested.

The Zaurikau-Tskhinvali gas pipeline from Russia is to be introduced in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Gazprom and Itera are taking part in the restoration of gas supply facilities. Work is underway to design and launch 26 autonomous modular boiler rooms to heat kindergartens, schools and hospitals in place of the outdated iron stoves.

The damage to South Ossetia's power industry is estimated at about 80 million roubles. The restoration and optimisation of the power supply system will cost about 700 million roubles and of the gas supply system, 470 million roubles. The targets for the liquefied gas storage facilities and the modular boiler rooms are being finalised.

In the future the construction of a 162-km gas pipeline from Russia needs to be speeded up to ensure gas supplies.

Energy supply facilities are to be built for consumers in the Leninogorsk District, which previously got its supplies from Georgian territory. An additional safety measure is the completion of the ring of the main network Zaramag Hydroelectric Station - Mamison - Kvaisa - Dzhava - Northern Portal.
Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: How much time will it take to implement these longer-term projects? I mean making power and gas supplies more stable and reliable.

Vyacheslav Sinyugin: We envisage an overland 110kilovolt power transmission line to ensure stable power supplies. We are planning to build about 20 km parallel to the existing overland line before the end of the year. The ring I have just referred to is to be built in 2010-2011.

As regards gas supplies, Gazprom's schedule sets the deadline for the fourth quarter. At the same time we and Gazprom are taking measures to speed up the introduction of the gas pipeline, setting the deadline for next June.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you.

Mr Kozak, your agency in fact coordinates the activities of other ministries and agencies, especially in the medium and long term. How do you see the current situation and the outlook?

Dmitry Kozak: Mr Shoigu and other colleagues have covered most of the ground regarding the work done so far. The Ministry of Regional Development was given the task on August 12, after the end of the operation to coerce Georgia into peace, to form an inter-agency commission to coordinate the activities of all the federal executive power bodies in rendering assistance to the Republic of South Ossetia, to develop a plan of priority measures to restore the key life support, education, health, housing and utilities objects in the republic and prepare a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction and development of the republic. When implemented, the plan will ensure conditions for the social and economic development of the republic matching those in the regions of the Russian Federation which form part of the Southern Federal District.

As early as August 13, the day after the decision was made, an interagency task force was formed in Vladikavkaz which included the federal bodies of executive power present here. The interagency task force decided that it was necessary to develop a plan of priority measures and promptly start the repair and reconstruction of the facilities that can and must be restored. Beginning from August 16 many federal bodies of executive power joined in this work, along with the emergency relief and restoration work described by Mr Shoigu.

On August 16 work began to audit the technical condition of the buildings and structures: as of yesterday, more than 5,000 buildings and structures had been inspected, including 84 social and engineering infrastructure objects included in the schedule of priority measures.

On August 22, after the Government of the Russian Federation issued a resolution prepared by the interagency task force, all the necessary regulations for the conduct of repair and reconstruction were approved: that includes the procedure of inspecting the technical condition of the buildings, the procedure of calculating the cost of restoring the facilities, the procedure of monitoring the progress of the work, and a model general contract. On August 23, jointly with the Finance Ministry, we determined the procedure for funding the repair and reconstruction work and initiated the legal formalities required. On August 28 the schedule of priority measures to restore key life support objects passed the second and final reading.

The schedule included 161 objects; the list of these objects and measures was agreed with the acting Chairman of the Government of the Republic of South Ossetia. It includes, as you see in this slide, mainly production and social infrastructure objects. The schedule also includes measures connected with the design of facilities and the project documentation that will be used to build facilities under the future comprehensive plan, and I will say more about it in a minute.

The plan of priority measures also includes territorial planning so that further development of the republic should follow a coherent plan. By now 22 general contractors and 35 subcontractor organisations have been brought in to conduct priority restoration measures in accordance with the schedule. Contracts have been signed for 143 facilities and measures, 188 heavy vehicles are used to restore 71 facilities. According to the schedule 1,967 workers were employed at these facilities as of yesterday.

Under the plan of priority measures work at 115 facilities will be completed by the end of the year. The fulfillment of the priority measures will of course mean only the patching up of holes in house walls, putting in window panes, mending the roofs and creating the basic conditions in which people can survive the winter. This is necessary to prevent the damage caused during the conflict from leading to further destruction of these facilities in the autumn and winter of 2008-2009.

The main task is to develop a comprehensive plan of the republic's development in the period to 2011. That work is in the final stretch. The situation is quite complicated because urgent repair, reconstruction and rescue work prevents electricity and water supply and sewage systems from being put in order. The republic does not have a single working boiler room, the roads do not meet the technical requirements, as my colleagues have pointed out.

In the framework of a comprehensive plan that includes the facilities marked for construction and reconstruction, we must bring the social and engineering infrastructure, the system of electricity, gas and water supply and the transport infrastructure to the level of regions in the Southern Federal District. This slide shows the difference in the level of various elements of the infrastructure and in the economic development and living standards of the republic and the regions.

By now all the federal bodies of executive power, by agreement with the corresponding executive bodies in the Republic of South Ossetia, have submitted proposals for a comprehensive development plan. This was done after discussions with the republic's leadership which focused on the conceptual issues connected with the location of facilities on the republic's territory, the location of government buildings, defence and security objects. By the end of the month the comprehensive plan will be submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation and by 2011 the targets you see in this slide will be reached.

As for the financing of the work, the Russian Government has already decided to allocate up to 10 billion roubles for these purposes.

In addition, funding and a considerable number of proposals have come from the Russian regions, which have undertaken to build a whole number of objects and complexes. Moscow, for example, has earmarked 2.5 million roubles for the building of a residential complex.

St Petersburg has undertaken to restore the Central Republican Hospital at the cost of 500 million roubles. The Arkhangelsk Region is restoring School No. 6.

There are many other proposals, some of which came from the business community. President Medvedev met with business representatives yesterday. We are talking about sizeable sums that must be used as efficiently as possible. The actions of the federal executive power bodies, the executive power bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and the representatives of business will be coordinated so as to ensure that this work proceeds according to plan and yields maximum results.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

We have Vladikavkaz on the line. The picture, though, shows only Tskhinvali. But Vladikavkaz can hear us.

A. Chupriyan: Chief of the regional operational headquarters, Colonel-General Chupriyan.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

I would like to put a question to the President of North Ossetia-Alania. How is the republic coping with this crisis? The republican budget and the economy came under heavy stress.

And that does not include the moral aspect because every person in your republic probably has relatives and friends, brothers and sisters in South Ossetia. How did the republic cope with the crisis and how do you see the future development?

Taimuraz Mamsurov: The republic has come to life and is working intensively. Speaking about today, as a member of the Federal Operational Headquarters I would like to report to you that the vast amount of work that was planned in the early days has been for the most part completed. The federal headquarters, the ministries and agencies of the Russian Federation in the republic have acted swiftly. The territorial bodies of federal executive power were, I think, very effective. The republic's government re-geared its work to be side by side with the federal bodies of power to clear the huge backlog of work.

As has been reported today, there is not a single temporary accommodation centre in the republic. All the problems connected with treatment of the wounded have been solved. The bulk of the humanitarian assistance has been physically moved from North Ossetia to South Ossetia. Our republic's experts, acting on directions from the Federal Headquarters, have been working at facilities in South Ossetia from the first day. The remaining 2,000 refugees are staying with their relatives. We have informed them of the Russian Government's decision regarding benefits and assistance that they will be entitled to.

On the whole, we are returning to the normal mode of work. Psychologically, of course, as you have rightly pointed out, the feeling of shock and horror that was experienced by our brothers next door as a result of the wicked and treacherous aggression will take a long time to wear off. The republic is returning to normal and what I have reported to you as a member of the Federal Operational Headquarters has indeed been done. But as the head of the republic, as a citizen of North Ossetia I would like to take this opportunity to convey the overall mood of the people of North Ossetia, and I am speaking on behalf of many of my colleagues, the leadership of the republic who are gathered in this room. A big personal thank you. We have seen that you traveled a long way to come here on the first day. The decisions you have taken have, I think, been fulfilled successfully and quickly. We believe that the Russian leadership has saved and preserved the people of South Ossetia from total extermination, and that is not an exaggeration.

Such things are never forgotten.

At the meeting of the State Council and now in the presence of my colleagues - and this is not just high-sounding talk, my words are relevant because they express the feelings of the people of our republic - I would like to say that along with the vast amount of help that we have received, we are feeling greater responsibility before our country, the Russian Federation, its leadership and all the regions. We will do all we can not to cause problems for the country's leadership and the country as a whole. This is our sincere wish. We may make mistakes, but we will do everything to demonstrate that we can contribute to the rescue work that has been carried out with regard to our brothers in South Ossetia, not to speak about the political decisions that followed.

On the whole the situation in the republic is stable. We are coming to grips with our own problems while remaining in South Ossetia for as long as it needs our specialists. Our organisations and institutions and the business community working in North Ossetia are ready to contribute to the restoration of the economy and social infrastructure of South Ossetia, which will be carried out under the leadership of our country.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I have visited your republic and I am pleased to note not only the reaction of the people of North Ossetia-Alania, but also the increased patriotism of all the people in the North Caucasus. I was impressed by how the whole North Caucasus, regardless of religion or place of residence, responded to the misfortune that befell South Ossetia. Everyone without exception was ready to help, to ensure the republic's security by word and deed, and to do everything to restore it. That is particularly true of the people in your republic. One could see the patriotic surge, the groundswell of patriotism in the republic and how the people of your republic responded to the tragedy quickly and with dedication.

I appreciate the leadership of the republic and all its citizens.

I very much hope that we will continue to work to address the problems of South Ossetia in the same mode. But, as you have rightly noted, it is necessary to return to the normal mode of work to ensure full development of the republic, with due account of the special relationship with your southern neighbour, South Ossetia.

We will remain in touch with you and I hope that you will contribute your full potential to implementing the plans the Federation has in helping South Ossetia.

Please bring back Tskhinvali to the screen. Thank you.

We have Pavel Plat, the head of the Ministry for Emergencies operational group there.

Mr Plat, you were in Tskhinvali from the first day and I understand that you practically never left the place.

How do you see the dynamics of events, how do you assess, being on the ground there, what you have heard here in Moscow? What is true and what in your opinion still remains to be done additionally?

Pavel Plat: Good afternoon, Prime Minister.

Beginning from August 10 an operational group of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has been coordinating the actions of the federal group in liquidating the aftermath on the territory of Tskhinvali and in other parts of the Republic of South Ossetia.

At present the Operational Group has fulfilled all the tasks set before it, the tasks of providing basic life support on the territory of South Ossetia.

Life in Tskhinvali and other communities in the republic is returning to normal and all the vital objects and facilities are functioning. Public transport, shops, public catering facilities, pharmacies, the communications hub and kindergartens have resumed their work. Local television is working and republican newspapers are being published. The academic year at the State University and schools and preschool childcare centres started in an organised way.

At present all the humanitarian cargoes arriving in the republic are passed on to the Government of South Ossetia. The Government of South Ossetia fully controls their distribution.

Repair and reconstruction work is going according to plan. Today I can say with confidence that all the plans have been fulfilled.

And finally I would like to say that all the federal agencies that worked in South Ossetia have given us a great deal of help. All the government agencies of South Ossetia also helped us, which enabled us to solve the tasks set. And that is the end of my report.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

I have a question for Deputy Finance Minister, Anton Siluyanov. How do you assess the financing situation? How do you plan to build relations with the ministries and agencies in the future?

Anton Siluyanov: The Finance Ministry has prepared and taken measures to finance the social benefits to the victims and the cost of restoring the economy and the social sphere in the Republic of South Ossetia.

The budget has at present allocated 13.8 billion roubles for these purposes. All the money is in the budget for 2008 and 2009: the money will finance payments to the victims - 539 million roubles, and the reconstruction of the economy and the social sphere in the republic will be financed out of next year's budget to the tune of 10 billion roubles.

Then we have allocated 1.5 billion roubles for immediate expenditure, and the money has already been transferred to the budget of North Ossetia to finance priority measures to restore the economy of the Republic of South Ossetia. And there are other disbursements in the pipeline.

An account of the Government of South Ossetia has been opened at the Federal Treasury Directorate. So all the payments for the reconstruction of the economy and the social sphere will be made through that account.

The status of South Ossetia has indeed changed and beginning from 2009 our financial relations with the Republic will be based on international law. The relevant amendments will be introduced when considering the second reading of the federal law on the federal budget for 2009-2011 at the State Duma, the Finance Ministry has prepared them.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Finally I would like to welcome the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity.

Good afternoon, we met recently and discussed the problems faced by your republic and the ways to solve them.

I am not going to speak much about the courage and heroism of the South Ossetian militiamen, who defended their people and their Homeland side by side with our peacekeepers and our servicemen. That is a topic for a separate discussion. You and I know what was happening there during the two days before the regular Russian troops moved in and how hard it was for the peacekeepers and the South Ossetian militiamen to hold back the assault of the aggressor.

The aim of our conversation today, of our meeting today is to discuss the problems of reconstruction of your republic. How do you assess the way the early stages of the work were carried out? What, in your opinion, should be done in the near future and in the medium term together with your Russian partners and colleagues?

Eduard Kokoity: Thank you very much for the warm words you have addressed to the people of South Ossetia. On behalf of the people of the Republic of South Ossetia I would like to express my appreciation for the work of the Federal Operational Headquarters, all the federal services that were members of the Operational Headquarters, because it has done an immense amount of work.
I can confidently say that in my opinion history knows of no precedents of a city being restored so quickly. We all saw the state of Tskhinvali on September 8, 9 and 10, and how quickly all the federal agencies solved these problems and eliminated the aftermath of the humanitarian catastrophe.

Many thanks to the rescuers who, often at the risk of their own lives, because there were many unexploded pieces of ammunition in the city, destroyed this ammunition.

Practically all the vital facilities in the republic have been restored and are functioning, as many speakers have already said today. Practically all the schools and educational institutions in the Republic of South Ossetia are functioning normally today. We have communications and electricity supplies. All this enables us to look to the future with optimism.

The aftermath of this humanitarian disaster has been practically liquidated. I would also like to assure everyone that this bloody and cruel action aimed at exterminating the Ossetian people has not broken our morale and we look to the future with optimism and confidence.

I would like to express thanks to all the members of the Operational Headquarters, all the Russian regions and all the people of the Russian Federation for their assistance and support. We are committed to working in this mode. The rapid pace of work set by the Ministry for Emergency Situations must be maintained. The second stage, restoring the devastated economy, must be approached in the same way.

Mr Putin, I would like to draw your attention to the following point. Yes, funding is coming in a timely manner and without delay. The money is there, but in parallel it is necessary to strictly monitor how the money is spent. The Government of South Ossetia is being formed and we will work jointly with our Russian colleagues because there are many facilities and we will monitor the quality of work and the amount of work fulfilled.

An important issue today is the private sector which has been heavily damaged. I have the data here, and we must do everything to enable the people who have lost their homes to get through the winter, and in general we should give thought to building private housing.

Once again, thank you very much.

I would like to assure you that South Ossetia will do everything to strengthen stability in the Caucasus and will support all the efforts of the Russian Federation aimed at preserving peace and promoting relations with all the peoples living here. This is the goal that we must achieve.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

In conclusion I would like to say the following. Russia has recognized the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of South Ossetia and of course in the future we will build our relations with that state proceeding from the norms and principles of international law.

At the same time we are aware that the people of Ossetia has been divided between North and South due to historical reasons. In building our relations with South Ossetia as an independent state we understand very well that there is a special relationship between people of South Ossetia and North Ossetia. That imposes a special responsibility on the Russian Federation, where the larger part of the Ossetian people lives and which most Ossetians consider to be their homeland. We are aware of it and we will proceed from this.

In this connection I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues, all the Cabinet members, the ministers and the heads of agencies to the need to commit the same amount of energy and to fulfill the medium-term and long-term programmes of the republic's reconstruction as actively and efficiently as we are doing now.

We know very well that it is not only the consequence of the aggression launched by the current Georgian leadership. It is also the consequence of the prolonged economic blockade on the part of Georgia, which led, let us face it, to a degradation of the social sphere. It is not the fault of South Ossetia. It is the misfortune of that country and the people who live there. Russia of course will come to your assistance and render the necessary support to you in this misfortune.

Work must be organised in an even-paced way, and funding must be timely. At the same time I absolutely agree with the President of South Ossetia that there should be effective and strict monitoring of how the budget and off-budget money is spent.

I would like to draw your attention to the need to develop the transport infrastructure. If the Roki Tunnel is not enough and the relations between Russia and South Ossetia grow, we should see how to expand the transport facilities and create additional channels of communication between South Ossetia and Russia, and I draw the Transport Minister's attention to this.

The same applies to communications, the development of broadcasting. It applies to providing access for the citizens of South Ossetia to the Russian media in normal mode, in the same mode as they are accessible to all the citizens of Russia.

I have told you, and the Minister of Health and Social Development has reported, that many people in South Ossetia are citizens of the Russian Federation and have long benefited from the social allowances and the pension system of the Russian Federation. It should be organised in a new mode directly through the corresponding services of South Ossetia, as the Deputy Finance Minister has said. I think that is right and I ask all the other ministries and agencies to work directly with their colleagues in South Ossetia.

Further work to restore and develop the economy and the social sphere of South Ossetia in contact with our partners in South Ossetia will be coordinated by the Ministry of Regional Development headed by Dmitry Kozak.

Thank you all. I wish you success.

I would like to thank the heads of ministries and agencies for their effective work, but even more the people who have achieved positive shifts and results on the spot.

Thank you very much. Good-bye.