US delegation leaves for Moscow for talks on inter-country adoptions

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Itar-Tass) -- A U.S. delegation of experts left
for Russia on Monday for another round of consultations on a bilateral
international adoptions agreement, the U.S. State Department's press
service reported.
This round of talks, the fourth one, will be held from July 21 to July
23, 2010 to focus on reaching an agreement that provides greater
safeguards for children and families in the adoption process between the
two countries.
"The United States looks forward to building on the progress achieved
during the last round of discussions, held in June in Washington," the
U.S. State Department said, explaining that with their Russian
counterparts, the delegation will review the latest draft of the adoption
agreement, making every effort to ensure that it addresses the legal and
policy concerns of both countries.
The U.S. delegation is headed by Mary Ellen Hickey, Managing Director
of the Office of Overseas Citizens Services, and includes representatives
from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department's
Legal Adviser's Office and Bureaus of Consular and European Affairs.