SCHEVENINGEN Netherlands AP Former Russian premier Viktor Chernomyrdin sought to reassure international investors Tuesday that Russia will survive its current economic ills. Speaking at an international business conference in this North Sea coastal town Chernomyrdin said Russia's economic woes are ``far from desperate'' and that there is no exodus of foreign companies. ``I can't make the situation better but I think in Russia we have every possibility to overcome the crisis'' he said. ``European companies are still with us. They are not leaving Russia.'' ``We're very ill ... but I believe we will overcome our illness and we're set to be healthy'' he told participants of the two-day Global Panel conference. The former prime minister's rhetoric was a tough sell: Russia is now mired in its worst economic crisis since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Images of ailing President Boris Yeltsin have also raised worries about his leadership and the country's future. On Tuesday International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus planned to open two days of talks on Moscow's frozen loan agreement with the IMF. The country is seeking further installments of an IMF bailout package that was reached in the summer but frozen after the Russian government devalued the ruble and defaulted on some of its debts in August. Camdessus was not expected to announce any breakthroughs but his visit to Moscow would give Russia an opportunity to make its case and lobby anew for fresh funds. Chernomyrdin stressed that his government is taking measures to contain the crisis but urged officials to speed up recovery plans. ``It would be a big mistake to believe that Russia would leave the international financial network even for a short time'' he said. jc/bk APW19981201.0156.txt.body.html APW19981201.1030.txt.body.html