The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs said the government's plan for dealing with the financial crisis is too vague and shortsighted.

"The measures recommended by the government are for a sprint, when in fact we'll have to run a marathon," the union, known as RSPP, said in a paper prepared for a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov on Monday.

Billionaires including Vladimir Yevtushenkov and Vagit Alekperov sat down with Shuvalov for almost two hours to discuss their concerns after the government sought input from regional leaders and entrepreneurs last week. Shuvalov told the group that the government will review its anti-crisis plan in April.

Shokhin, the head of the big business lobby, said there were no significant differences with the government. The union will recommend no more than five priority areas to the government in the next two to three weeks, he said.

Interros head Vladimir Potanin, also an RSPP board member, urged President Dmitry Medvedev to think of long-term crisis mitigation policies at a separate meeting Monday, Interfax reported.

(Bloomberg, MT)