Schroeder avoids NTV debate

Chancellor Schroeder, left, said he and Putin, right, both support press freedom

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- The German chancellor dodged the heated debate on the future of Russia's NTV television network during a state visit.

While being interviewed on Ekho Moskvy -- a radio station owned by NTV founder Vladimir Gusinsky -- Gerhard Schroeder was asked about the controversial take-over attempt by a state-owned company.

Schroeder replied: "My understanding of a free press is that you have to separate property on one side and an understanding of journalism on the other.

REFERENCE NTV: Russian media battle   •  Putin accused of NTV plot   •  Who owns what in Russia's media   •  Shrinking free media   •  Timeline of events   •  NTV fact file   •  Gazprom fact file   •  VIDEO: Vladimir Guskinsky interview   •  Profile: Boris Jordan   •  Profile: Yevgeny Kiselyov   •  Profile: Ted Turner   •  Profile: Vladimir Gusinsky

"I have always understood that journalism is the democratic freedom of a country and in that I agree with the President (Putin)."

Schroeder, who discussed NTV with Putin on Monday, then said Russia needed a media that would "inform the people and monitor the authorities," but his comments fell short of the direct pressure on Putin that NTV staff had hoped for.

Other European leaders have joined the debate, with senior EU officials on Tuesday expressing concerns about press freedom during talks in Luxembourg with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko.

VIDEO CNN's Jill Dougherty has more on the possible takeover of NTV, Russia's only independent TV station Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency said later: "On NTV, we have called for pluralist laws of ownership. We fear this (latest) development will decrease pluralism for owners."

NTV has been fiercely critical of Vladimir Putin and those opposing the take-over led by the Gazprom gas company argue the Kremlin is behind the move in an attempt to silence opposition.

Thousands have protested the attempted takeover

The network's staff has branded the boardroom coup in which Gusinsky and key aides were ousted as illegal and CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty says a May date has now been set for a legal challenge in Moscow's Arbitration Court.

Putin, who on Monday broke a week-long silence on the case, has pledged himself to free speech saying he could not intervene in a purely commercial dispute that a court should resolve.

"As far as expressing one's opinion is concerned, freedom of the press etc, then it must be guaranteed," Putin said in a television interview broadcast late on Monday.

"But it can only be guaranteed under one condition: the creation of acceptable economic conditions for a free press."

But Putin added that Russian prosecutors are seeking Gusinsky's extradition from Spain over fraud allegations.

Gusinsky has said the charges are part of a political campaign to seize his independent media outlets. Amid the turmoil several high-profile staff, including presenters Tatyana Mitkova, Natalya Zabuzova and Leonid Parfyonov and political correspondent Alexei Pivovarov resigned over the weekend, according to the NTV Web site.

Dougherty said that another 12 staff were reported to have "defected" en masse from the crime news programme Criminal.

The Washington Post has said that such a mass exodus could undermine a bid by CNN founder Ted Turner to buy into the troubled channel and maintain its independence.

"If this thing blows up in the next two weeks, then there really isn't anything to buy," the paper quoted Turner spokesman Brian Faw as saying.

But Dougherty said Turner spokesmen had told her it would not stop them going ahead with the deal.

Turner last week announced that he had struck a deal to buy an NTV stake from Gusinsky, but said he could ensure its independence only if he reached a deal with Gazprom as well.

Gazprom owns 46 percent of the company and Gusinsky 25 percent, with another disputed 19 percent which Gazprom controls as collateral for a loan due this summer.

The head of Gazprom's media arm Alexander Kokh told Russia's RTR television said his firm would reply on Tuesday to Turner's offer, but a final deal could take months.

He said that "with or without Turner" freedom of expression would be guaranteed and that other international groups had expressed interest.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Putin steers clear of NTV row
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Russian TV takeover sparks protest

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