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Bury Tsar Before Lenin, Aide Says

First the tsar's family must be buried, and then Russia can decide whether to bury Lenin, President Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff has said.


Sergei Filatov's comments Monday to Itar-Tass came in response to an appeal by St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak that Lenin's body be removed from display in its Red Square mausoleum and buried on Jan. 21, the 71st anniversary of his death.


"The question of burying Lenin will be considered after the reburial of the remains of the tsar's family,'' Filatov told Itar-Tass.


Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by Lenin's order soon after the Bolshevik Revolution. Burial of the recently uncovered remains is planned in St. Petersburg in March.


Filatov said the question of Lenin's burial "is not the most pressing one, and there is no need to rush it.''


But he added, "Misfortunes will continue until Lenin is laid to rest.''

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