Russia's CEC to discuss preparations for single election day.

MOSCOW, August 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's Central Election Commission
(CEC) on Wednesday will begin a two-day meeting dedicated to preparations
for the forthcoming single election day scheduled for October 10. The
meeting will be attended by heads of election commissions from those
Russian regions and municipalities that will hold election on that day, as
well as by officials from the Russian president's administration, the
Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Interior and
Emergencies Ministries, the Federal State Statistics Service,
representatives from seven national political parties, members of both
chambers of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and the Council of
Federation.
CEC chairman Vladimir Churov will focus on tasks facing local election
commissions.
The meeting will also address basic legal and organizational issues,
such as registration of candidates, relations between local election
commissions and state authorities, local self-governments and law
enforcement agencies. Participants in the meeting will also discuss how to
work with reports claiming violations of election laws, etc.
On October 10, a total of 7,841 elections of various levels and local
referendums will be held throughout Russia. Six of its constituent regions
will elect regional parliaments.

.Council of Federation to hold round-table meeting on bill on police.

MOSCOW, August 25 (Itar-Tass) -- The bill On Police will be in the
focus of attention at a round-table meeting at the upper chamber of the
Russian parliament, the Council of Federation, on Wednesday. The meeting
was initiated by the chamber's defence and security committee. Taking part
in the meeting will be officials from the Russian Interior Ministry, the
Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Federal
Migration Service, and the Public Chamber.
"We want to hear the opinion of experts and the general public to take
it into account while elaborating the document submitted by the Russian
president for general discussion," said Alexander Chekalin, a Council of
Federation defence and security committee members, who previously was
Russia's deputy interior minister.
According to Chekalin, the bill is essential for the ongoing reform of
the country's law enforcement system. In his words, the law will "clearly
outline police competences" and will help efficiently protect citizens'
rights.
One of the basic aims of the police reform is to build up people's
confidence. Experts underline the importance of such provisions of the
bill as "Impartiality," "Openness," "Ensuring General Confidence and
Support of Citizens."
According to public opinion polls, only 40 percent of crime victims
seek help from police. The Russian Interior Ministry's in-house security
department said that the number of criminal cases against law enforcers
went up by 20 percent last year alone. Police officers are often reported
to violate various restrictions, such as the ban on commercial activity.

.Irkutsk Court of Arbitration to consider bankruptcy of Baikal
pupl&paper mill.

IRKUTSK, August 25 (Itar-Tass) -- The Court of Arbitration of Russia's
Irkutsk region on Wednesday will consider the bankruptcy of the Baikal
Pulp and Paper Mill, a source in the court's secretariat told Itar-Tass.
According to the source, the court will hear a report on the results
of monitoring imposed in October 2009 for the term of six months. The
court hearing was postponed a month ago on the initiative of the mill's
bankruptcy receiver, since no meeting of creditors had been held by that
time.
The court ruled to recognize the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill as
bankrupt after it considered a claim brought by the Sibstroyles company,
which had been the mill's supplier of raw materials and to which it owed
1.6 million roubles. Currently the list of the mill's creditors includes
about 100 enterprises and credit organizations, which have claims to the
total amount of 1.7 billion roubles.
On August 10, the mill's biggest creditors, Alfa Bank and
Raiffeisenbank, which own some 52 percent of the mill's debts, decided to
introduce bankruptcy administration at the mill and to sell its assets.
The mill has been idle since October 2008, when its executives
declared the mill's default and said it was unable to "continue its work
in conditions of the closed water cycle." Currently, the mill has resumed
pulp production after it received a permit to discharge waste waters into
Lake Baikal.
The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill was commissioned in 1966. It is owned
on behalf of the state by the state property committee Rosimushchestvo (49
percent of shares) and individuals, including 25.2 percent of shares
belonging to Oleg Deripaska.
Before its suspension the mill exported more than 95 percent of its
products to China. According to the presidential decree of June 18 this
year, the mill was stripped of its strategic status.
-0-ras


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