Parliament Summons Yeltsin; Moves to Oust Him Expected

MOSCOW —  The Parliament of the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union’s largest republic, on Friday summoned its president, Boris N. Yeltsin, to a showdown meeting next month at which Communist hard-liners are expected to press for his resignation.

Deputies voted to hold an extraordinary meeting of the full Russian Parliament on March 28, when Yeltsin, the leading political rival of Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, will be asked to defend his policies and leadership.

But the timing was a setback for Yeltsin’s opponents, who wanted to hold the session before a crucial March 17 referendum that is expected to strengthen his position.

“This is the result of a compromise decision and (is) a victory for democratic forces,” said Rostislav Tikhonov, a deputy from central Russia.

The meeting was demanded by hard-liners in the Parliament, who are incensed by a television interview Tuesday in which Yeltsin accused Gorbachev of deceiving the public. He demanded that Gorbachev resign immediately.

Yeltsin was quoted Friday by the daily Izvestia as calling for the immediate transfer of presidential power to the Federation Council, an executive body comprising the leaders of the 15 Soviet republics.

But Yeltsin struck a more moderate note when he was asked if it is possible for him to cooperate with Gorbachev.

“I will have to cooperate, of course, and I will have to carry on a dialogue,” he was quoted as telling deputies and workers on Thursday in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow.

When asked if he and Gorbachev should both step down to stabilize the political situation, Yeltsin replied: “Such a scenario is possible.”

The outcome of next month’s special meeting of Parliament is expected to hinge on the result of the March 17 referendum, in which voters will be asked whether they want to preserve the Soviet Union as a renewed but still federal state.