Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday finished the cabinet shakeup by replacing foreign minister and keeping former economic and finance ministers on their posts.  

In a televised program, Mikhail Fradkov, who was overwhelmingly approved by the State Duma (lower house of parliament) four days ago as new prime minister following Putin's surprise dismissal of the government headed by Mikhail Kasyanov, read the president's decree at a meeting chaired by Putin and attended by the new appointed ministers.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's envoy to the United Nations, was appointed foreign minister, replacing Igor Ivanov, who was named Security Council secretary.

Alexander Zhukov, co-leader of the pro-Putin United Russia Party and deputy speaker of the State Duma, was appointed deputy prime minister.

Former Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref and former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin retained their cabinet posts.

Putin urged the new cabinet members to promptly carry on the work of strengthening the country and improving Russians' standard of living.

"I ask you today to step up activity under the leadership of the prime minister, to conclude the reorganization of the ministries and move rapidly to realizing the plans we have unveiled," he added.

Russian analysts see the re-appointments of Gref and Kudrin and the appointment of Viktor Khristenko industry and energy minister as indication of government's strong determination to continue liberal economic reforms.

"Because the key figures of the government's economic block previously headed by Mikhail Kasyanov, Kudrin, Gref, Khristenko, have kept their posts, we can be sure that the economic policy will stay the same," Yevsei Gurvich, a representative of the Economic Expert Group, was quoted by Interfax News Agency as saying.

Meanwhile, Gennady Zyuganov, the opposition Communist Party chief, criticized the government reshuffle, arguing that he saw no "essential" change in the government.

"The entire economic bloc, represented by German Gref, Alexei Kudrin and Viktor Khristenko, has remained the same," he told local media, adding that the "harmful" old policy will be continued.

In an interview with Russia's NTV television station, Lavrov said that he saw no change in Russia's foreign policy after his appointment.

The country's "foreign policy was defined by the president on the basis of Russia's foreign policy conception ... and our task is to continue it," Lavrov said.

Russian analysts predict that the replacement of Russia's foreign minister does not signify a change in Russian foreign policy.

"It is simply the natural changing of the team," Igor Bunin, political scientist and the head of the Center of Political Technologies, told Interfax News Agency.

He said that Larvor, who has represented Russia in the UN for nearly ten years, cannot be accused of being pro-American, pro-European or pro-anything else because the UN is a "neutral" organization.

From the former cabinet, Sergei Ivanov, Sergei Shoigu, Alexei Gorgeyev and Yuri Chaika retained their positions as defense minister, emergency situations minister, agriculture and fisheries minister and justice minister respectively.

Putin appointed Rashid Nurgalieyv interior minister, Mikhail Zurabov health and social development minister, Andrei Fursenko education and science minister, Alexander Sokolov culture and information minister, Yury Trutnev natural resources minister and Igor Levitin transport and communications minister.

Dmitri Kozak was appointed chief of the government staff with the rank of minister.

Putin said the government has been slimmed down to 17 ministerial posts from 30.

He also said that if he is reelected in the March 14 presidential elections, he will not reshuffle the new Cabinet, adding that the constitutional resignation procedure will be a pure formality.

The new Cabinet came five days ahead of the country's presidential poll, which is widely expected to result in a landslide victory for Putin.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2004)