President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus received the leader of the ruling coalition Andrius Kubilius whom the President had instructed to form the new Cabinet.

In the meeting, they discussed candidatures to the members of the new Government, put forward by Kubilius.

The President underlined that his requirements for persons proposed to high governmental positions remained the same: competence, irreproachable reputation, administrative experience.

The President and Mr. Kubilius also discussed the key points of the crisis prevention plan.

The President welcomed the coalition's resolve to take the urgently needed decisions in the field of government finances. “The fact that this issue is treated as a top priority brings hope that this hard period will be controlled and will not grow into a chronic crisis. Such active efforts send a positive message to investors and foreign markets”, the President said.

The Head of State warned that the crisis prevention plan should not become just a simple shift of figures in account-books, i.e. a mechanical cut of expenditures and increase of taxes.

According to the President, every suggested measure must be clearly linked to the priorities of the State and the envisaged reforms. “The coalition must assess responsibly each single measure proposed in the crisis prevention plan so that our good intentions do not carry us too far,” the President warned.

Mr. Adamkus also said that once we have posed a task of fixing government finances we may not ignore the likely impact of these measures on the future economic development of the country and social needs of the people.

“We may not make mistakes that would push investors away or hamper the so-needed ongoing reforms such as the pension reform,” the President said.

For these reasons, President Adamkus will look at the crisis prevention plan in conjunction with the measures envisaged in the programme of the new Government.