Gorbachev in first public appearance after surgery

     Dec  18  (Interfax)  -  Former  Soviet  President  Mikhail Gorbachev, who underwent surgery for arteriostenosis on November 21, has appeared in public for the first time after the operation.

     Gorbachev  attended the presentation of the final report on 'Social Inequity and Public Policy' prepared by the Gorbachev Foundation and the Russian Academy of Sciences under his personal supervision on Monday.

     The  former  president  spent more than two hours on the presidium, together  with  the authors of the report. Though he did not make a long speech,  he  regularly  made  comments and gave assessments, an Interfax correspondent reported.

Interfax, 18.12.2006