"His experience belongs to previous times," said one former colleague in the Gorbachev Government who spoke on condition he not be identified.

This clearly was growing more fragile by the day as the Gorbachev Government kept up its pressure.

Others around him are aggressive young economists and lawyers who had been at the fringe of the Gorbachev Government.

The Gorbachev Government, too, is talking about ending the subsidies that generate the budget deficit and pump up household savings.

Yes, but they know that different as the Gorbachev Government may be, the threat of Soviet military or economic intervention still remains.

Every sign of repression by the Gorbachev Government had to be ignored.

There was no immediate reaction from the Gorbachev Government, but the transfer appeared to have at least its tacit approval.

After that they hope to negotiate with the Gorbachev Government on various details for a restoration of independence.

One was that aid to the Soviet people had to be channeled entirely through the staggering Gorbachev Government.

But until the Gorbachev Government fell, a portion of this pool was earmarked for investment in that country.