Russian-British relations have good prospects, but need tuning - Medvedev.

HUNTSVILLE, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian-British relations have good
prospects but need a certain adjustment, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
said on Friday after a meeting with Britain's new Premier David Cameron.
"We discussed what is happening within the G8 and H20, but what is
most important, we discussed the current state of bilateral relations and
we agreed that they require to be tuned," Medvedev said. "We instructed
our foreign ministers to be in contact and to discuss the agenda of our
relations."
According to the Russian president, the Russian-British relations
"require permanent attention of the leaders both in economic areas and in
other fields."
"We are set to make them more productive and full-blown. I hope that
our contacts will be followed by closer cooperation. Even now we have such
cooperation in certain fields and it is useful," he stressed.
Medvedev wished Cameron "success in the hard work he is in for" as
Britain's prime minister. "I which you tolerance to take part in such
international summits - there will be lots of them," he added.

.Medvedev urges for global plan to fight drug trafficking.

TORONTO, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has
proposed to adopt a global plan to fight drug trafficking, Russian
president's aide Arkady Dvorkovich said on Saturday.
"As concerns a meeting in the broadest format involving leaders of
both African and a number of Latin American states, the key subject of
discussion was drug trafficking problems. The Russian president urged to
adopt a global plan to fight drug trafficking," Dvorkovich told
journalists.

.Russia to allocate $75 mln for maternity and child programs for
Africa.

TORONTO, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia will allocate 75 million U.S.
dollars to finance programs on maternal and child health for African
countries in the next three years, Russian president's aide Arkady
Dvorkovich said on Saturday commenting on the results of G8 leaders'
meeting with African leaders.
"The meeting discussed the Millennium Development Goals, including
efforts to bring down maternal and child mortality," he said. "Russia will
allocate 75 million U.S. dollars for these programs in the next three
years."
"Russia has a certain experience in such programs stemming from
national projects, which yielded good results," he added.

.Financial operations unlikely to be taxed - Dvorkovich.

TORONTO, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian president's aide Arkady
Dvorkovich said on Saturday financial operation were unlikely to be
subject to taxation in the nearest future anywhere in the globe, including
Russia.
"If this tax is to be introduced, it must be introduced everywhere. If
it is not imposed everywhere, capital will flow to those countries which
have no such tax. However, it is highly unlikely that all the countries
introduce such tax," Dvorkovich told a briefing within the G8 summit.
According to Dvorkovich, such tax is not very much profitable for
Russia either. "We have a developing financial market, we would welcome
big volumes of financial operations, that is why if other countries impose
such a tax it will play into our hands," he explained.

.G8 leaders clarify positions, advance new initiative on G8 1st day.

TORONTO, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- The main result of the first G8 summit
day was that the sides got more clarification on each other's positions
and advanced new initiatives, Russian president's aide Arkady Dvorkovich
said on Saturday.
"The main result of the first several meetings within the G8 summit
was that the leaders have squared their positions on the complex and
pressing issues of development and on economic problems of G8 countries,"
he said. "Some details of certain positions were clarified and hence it
will be easier to coordinate further efforts."
"Apart from this, the leaders voiced support to the initiative to
bring down maternal and child mortality, and it is a significant step," he
stressed.
According to Dvorkovich, "Russia has outlined its positions on two key
issues."
"President Medvedev underlined the necessity to pursue a responsible
budgetary policy and urged his partners to announce plans on reducing
budgetary deficits thus setting an example for other countries," he said.
-0-ras


.Talks on IMF reforms to be over by G20 Seoul summit - Dvorkovich.

TORONTO, June 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Talks on reforming the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) are to be over by a G20 summit in Seoul this November,
Russian president's aide Arkady Dvorkovich said on Saturday.
"The talks are making difficult progress, but in line with agreements
between sherpas they must be over by the end of the year, i.e. by the
Seoul G20 meeting," Dvorkovich told journalists.
"At a sherpa level we have agreed to do our best to complete the talks
by the Seoul G20 summit to have them approved at it," he added.
-0-ras


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