WORLD : Gorbachev Tells of Errors, Hopes
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MOSCOW — President Mikhail S. Gorbachev admitted today that serious errors had been committed under his leadership but predicted that the Soviet people would see a turning point in their fortunes in the coming year.
Gorbachev, in a New Year message broadcast just before midnight, described 1990 as “an exceptionally difficult year.”
He said economic problems were inevitable in a vast country embarking on a transition to a market economy.
“To this were added shortcomings and errors of even recent times--errors by the country’s leadership, our common inadequacies,” he said.
He demanded a commitment to hard work and discipline to halt a decline in living standards. “However deep the crisis endured by our country, we can and must achieve a turning point for the better . . . in the coming year,” Gorbachev said.
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