The Russian economy could grow more than 6.6% in 2003. "We estimate GDP growth will be 6.6%, but that, I stress, is our most conservative estimate," Arkady Dvorkovich, a deputy economy minister, told reporters.

"Growth will not be any less, but it might be higher if agricultural output is bigger than we anticipated," Dvorkovich said. But he said "our optimism is on the cautious side and we consider that such high economic growth might not be sustained over the next three years if oil prices fall."

"Our GDP growth forecasts are 5.2% [in 2004], 5.9% [in 2005] and 6% [in 2006], and I doubt we will be altering them very much, Dvorkovich said."

(Interfax 28.xi.03)