MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - Russian President-elect Dmitry Medvedev has said that the system whereby the country's president can subsequently hold another executive office is positive.

"This is a new situation for us. That is absolutely true. I see a great deal positive in it," Medvedev said in an interview that will be published in the book about him by famous television journalist Nikolai Svanidze.

Parts of the book, that will be released by the end of May, have been posted on Medvedev's official website.

The president-elect said, "I am not talking now about Putin and Medvedev. This is a separate story and I am certain everything will be alright."

"Our personal relationship as friends can guarantee that," Medvedev said.

The model whereby the president takes up another job in the political system instead of resigning or retiring is "totally new for our country," he said.

" Russian history has never seen the head of state, whatever he might have been called, leaving for a second job. The second, the third, the fifth. He would resign or retire or fall into disfavor. And this is something that happens in all countries. In Europe, at least," the president-elect said.

"Certainly, there were and will be" fears, Medvedev said.

"And only time can tell whether new models of power are efficient," he said

However "this one is an efficient model. And this view is shared by president Putin," he added.

"Attempts will be made to test the strength" of this model, Medvedev said.

"There are people who will be looking for its defects and will do what is normally done in politics - political break-ups," Medvedev said.

"But we are quite grown-up guys. We will manage this," Medvedev said.