Countywide : Adviser to Discuss Situation in Russia

The looming showdown in Russia between President Boris Yeltsin and a hard-line Parliament will be discussed Sunday in Ventura by a special adviser to Yeltsin’s economic reform team.

James Wilburn, dean of the Pepperdine School of Business and adviser to Yeltsin’s privatization committee, is scheduled to speak at an after-dinner program sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Ventura County.

Russian food, music and art will be featured at the event, to be held at the Clocktower Inn in Ventura.

A member of the European Parliament Industrial Council, Wilburn co-founded the Conference on International Strategic Alliances in Geneva, Switzerland. He has addressed the European Parliament on the role of small business in economic development.

In an interview Monday, Wilburn said he views the outcome of the battle over Yeltsin’s reforms as one of the most dramatic moments of his generation.

“It is a critical juncture, not only for Russia and Russian-American relations, but for the entire world,” Wilburn said. “If the Legislature prevailed in the referendum, the result in Russia would be chaos.”

But Wilburn said he believes that too many people have benefited from Russia’s emerging private economy for Yeltsin’s conservative foes to prevail.

“My hunch is that Yeltsin will survive this, partially because of his political agility, but also because his opposition is so fragmented and discredited,” Wilburn said about those calling for a return to a centralized economy.

Sunday’s event will begin at 5 p.m. with a cocktail reception to be followed by a Russian dinner at 5:45 p.m. and Wilburn’s address at 6:30 p.m. For further information, call the World Affairs Council at 648-1882.