Yeltsin's plan on who does what

MOSCOW - President Boris Yeltsin appeared on television last night brandishing his own six- point draft law on the division of executive and legislative powers which he intends to offer to the Congress of People's Deputies this week as a possible way out of Russia's paralysing constitutional crisis, writes Helen Womack.

During an interview on the weekly Itogi (Results) news programme, he said that he was still hoping for an accord with his conservative rivals in the Soviet-era assembly. 'I am for agreement. I don't want confrontation with parliament. I don't want to command. I want a law on powers.'

And he produced the document which he said would clearly delineate the roles of parliament and the President. 'It is not a very big document but very clear on who should do what. Then there will be no argument.'

If the past record of parliament, which has already rejected an earlier truce proposal by Mr Yeltsin, is anything to go by, however, the Congress is likely to be hostile to the draft law.

The President obviously realises this, for yesterday he made clear that he was still pressing ahead with plans for a constitutional referendum on 11 April by publishing the four questions he intends to pose.