Russia's Medvedev pledges aid with a finger click

By Denis Dyomkin

KHABAROVSK, Russia (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, likely to be Russia's next president, says the country's so rich from an oil-fuelled boom that billions can be doled out simply by a click of the fingers.

"Money today is not a problem at all: only click (your fingers) and there you are: two billion, three billion," he said, clicking his fingers for effect during a meeting with officials in the Far East region of Khabarovsk.

Favoured to win next month's election to succeed President Vladimir Putin, he said he would pursue present Kremlin policy, known as "Putin's plan" to revive Russia's place in the world.

The latest opinion polls say Medvedev will score an easy win over his rivals in the March 2 vote.

The economy has been swelled by billions of dollars of income from energy exports. The value of Russia's rainy-day oil and gas fund from revenues from energy exports is $157 billion.

But economists say inflation is a growing worry, especially for consumers who have seen the price of foodstuffs rocket. Official figures put inflation last year at almost 12 percent, well over government targets.

Medvedev said his overall strategy would not deviate from that of Putin.

"With regards to my position, I talked about this from the start: I think that my work today as a candidate should be based on what was done during the last years. Those projects we did together with President Putin," Medvedev said.