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Medvedev Against Demonizing Former Secret Agents In Power

MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - Russia's President-Elect Dmitry Medvedev has said he sees nothing unusual in the presence of former secret agents in state political structures.

"If people with experience of work in secret services take the helm, they usually offer political posts to people with a similar experience, people with whom they worked. There is nothing abnormal in this," Medvedev said in an interview cited in a book by popular TV journalist Nikolai Svanidze.

Excerpts from this book, due to be out in May, have been published on Medvedev's website.

"People coming from secret services have their own experience, positive and negative. They are just like everyone, they should not been demonized or worshiped," Medvedev said.

Such people "can bring something new to state management (because they are) well-versed in mechanisms of adopting decisions and have experience of working in secrecy, which is also good," Medvedev remarked.