MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax-AVN) - Establishment of the National Guard, based on the Interior Ministry Forces, is not discussed at the present time, Colonel General Nikolai Rogozhkin, Interior Ministry Forces Commander-in-Chief, said on Thursday.
"Establishment of the National Guard, based on the Russian Interior Ministry Forces, is one of the options for transforming the Interior Ministry under the administrative reform. At the moment this issue is not included in the agenda," Rogozhkin told a news conference at the Interfax main office.
At the same time, he noted that if political authorities adopted a decision on establishing the National Guard, based on the Interior Ministry Forces, the Central Command would embark on realizing such decision.
He also noted that in 2005 the priority for the Interior Ministry Forces would still consist in discharging combat tasks as part of the Combined Federal Force in Chechnya.
"The second priority will consist in providing security to crucial state facilities, including nuclear power stations. At the present time the Interior Ministry Forces provide security to over 100 crucial facilities across the country," he emphasized.
He also said that the overall strength of the Interior Ministry Forces would amount to 200,000 men as of January 1, 2005. "The strength of the Central Command administration totals 548 servicemen," he pointed out.