VILNIUS - Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas admitted this week that the four-party ruling coalition had yet to come to a mutual understanding, though he stressed there were no conflicts within the Cabinet.
"We have failed to come to an agreement in such a large coalition. But this does not mean that there is a split. Those who have nothing to do make up conflicts," he said in an interview to national radio on Jan. 25.
Varying opinions have surfaced among the coalition partners 's the Social Democrats, the Social Liberals (New Union), the Labor Party and the Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties 's about administering EU funds and appointing a state auditor.
With regards to an argument between Economy Minister Viktor Uspaskich and Finance Minister Algirdas Butkevicius over distributing EU structural funds (see story on Page 8), the prime minister said it was a misunderstanding.
"When the two ministers met, the issue was settled in 15 minutes. I see no conflict, and I don't know why the media give so much attention to such an ordinary thing," he said. "It was just a small misunderstanding, which has been resolved and may be forgotten."
Brazauskas, who heads the Social Democratic Party, said he believed that the coalition parties would be able to reach a consensus in the future.
Others, however, believe the recent rows in the coalition are essentially the first of many fault lines that will open up in the future and ultimately result in governmental collapse. Any fissure in the Cabinet would likely occur between the SocDems and SocLibs, who have been close allies for the past four years, and the Labor Party, a party that was created last year by the Russian-born millionaire Uspaskich.
Prior to the parliamentary elections in the fall, Brazauskas and other leftists had ruled out cooperation with the populist Laborites, though they quickly changed their tune after the upstart party won the ballot and talks with right-wing parties broke down amid mutual distrust.
