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MOSCOW - Russia's catastrophic wildfires this summer have demonstrated the need to reform the nation's forest protection legislation and the state forestry agency, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
The remarks appeared to reflect Medvedev's desire to take a higher profile on economic and domestic policy issues presently controlled by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — though Medvedev stopped short of an open challenge to his powerful predecessor and mentor.
The hottest summer since records began 130 years ago and an accompanying drought sparked tens of thousands of fires in Russia. More than 50 people have died directly in the fires, and about 2,500 residences across Russia were destroyed. The drought also has cost the country a third of its wheat crop, prompting the government to ban wheat exports through the end of the year.
On Wednesday, fires in the southeastern region of Altai that borders Kazakhstan destroyed more than 400 houses and forced the evacuation of several villages, the Interfax news agency reported.
It quoted emergency officials as saying that strong winds from Kazakhstan might spread devastating forest fires to seven districts. Kazakh authorities allowed Russian emergency workers and their aircraft to cross the border, it said.
Putin has taken a highly visible lead in efforts to combat the fires, visiting affected areas and even taking a seat in a firefighting plane while Medvedev was chairing dull official meetings. Many political commentators perceived Putin's action as a sign of his intention to reclaim the presidency in 2012 and a clear warning to Mevedev to stand by.
Putin and Medvedev both have said they would decide later who will run for president.
Medvedev indicated Wednesday that the prime minister's move to take direct control of the forestry agency, Rosleskhoz, could be insufficient to properly protect the nation's forests in the future.
"If it's more convenient to work that way, you are welcome," Medvedev told a government meeting focused on forests. "But if it proves insufficient, I reserve the right to radically change those structures."
He said the blazes had shown that the current law and the existing official structures can't properly protect the forests.
"It's quite obvious that the legal base and the organizational structure that we have don't fit the purpose," Medvedev said in televised remarks.
The president also said that the need for changing the current forest legislation also must be carefully analyzed.
On Tuesday, some lawmakers criticized the government and the Putin-led United Russia party that dominates the parliament for pushing through a 2006 law that dismantled a sprawling Soviet-era network of forest protection.
The legislators' statements echoed criticism from some environmental protection groups and Kremlin political foes who held Putin personally responsible for passing the forest law.
Medvedev avoided any direct criticism of Putin, but said Wednesday the 2006 law had left most of the nation's forests without due oversight.
He also seemed to defy Putin on another issue — the construction of a new highway northwest of Moscow that would destroy a forest near the town of Khimki. Putin's Cabinet has continued to support it despite growing public opposition.
Medvedev, who has suspended the project pending an additional analysis, said Wednesday that environmental concerns and public protests should be taken into account while making a final decision.
