Moscow, April 30 (RFE/RL) - Russian Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov met with a group of leading bankers and businessmen in Moscow today. The businessmen have called on him and President Boris Yeltsin to seek a political compromise before the upcoming presidential elections.
Coming out of today's meeting, Zyuganov told reporters his party had "always been in favor of dialogue." No details of what was discussed were revealed. Communist legislator Viktor Ilyukhin, who accompanied Zyuganov at the meeting, said the talks had been "very valuable," adding that "any personal meeting and exchange of information helps us gain understanding."
A group of 13 prominent Russian bankers and businessmen appealed to leading politicians last week to find common ground ahead of June's potentially divisive presidential elections. Yeltsin's Press Secretary Sergei Medvedev, said today that Yeltsin was "very well informed" about the businessmen's appeal. He said Yeltsin was open to talks and was "waiting for the development of an initiative."