Moldova referendum failed for low turnover.

(Adds details)

CHISINAU, September 6 (Itar-Tass) -- Moldova's constitutional
referendum to return the national presidential election failed due to the
low turnover. The Central Election Commission reports that 30.98 percent
of voters showed up, while 33.33 percent were required.
The data was confirmed by the Commission's Chairman Evgeny Shtirbu on
Monday.
The commission is expected to announce official results as all
protocols from election stations have been studied.
"First protocols from the regions will arrive on Monday morning, and
according to the present law, they should be studied within three days,"
the commission's secretary Yuri Chokan said. Experts say, the procedure
may affect the referendum. Over the coming two years, the same question
may not be asked over a referendum, the present law says.
The situation in Moldova remains misbalanced from spring of the
previous year, when following the parliamentary election in April, the
liberal-democratic opposition protested as it accused the communists at
power of falsifying the results. The protests developed into riots against
the parliament and the president's residence. Since then, the parliament
fails to elect president, which should be supported by three fifths of the
deputies /61 out of 101/. Neither another election nor the changes in the
political arena managed to improve the situation in the country. Earlier,
communists supported the president while the opposition boycotted the
process. Following the early elections in July 2009, the sides changed
their roles, but the result remained unaltered.
In order to overcome the crisis, leaders of the Alliance for European
Integration, which have a majority in the parliament /53 deputies against
44 communists/, initiated a referendum to resume the national election of
president. They also lowered the required turnover to a third of the
voters. However, the majority of the nation followed appeals from
communists and boycotted the plebiscite.
Moldova's media observers say the low attendance demonstrates the
level of trust to the ruling power and the opposition. The ruling
coalition lacks popularity to become a leader. On the other hand,
communists gain support, the media said.
"It was not a referendum, initiated by the ruling liberal-democratic
coalition, it was rather a true vote of no confidence in the present power
referendum," Moldova's former President Vladimir Voronin said. Communists
will fight for changes to the Constitution to lower the required
attendance over presidential election in the parliament, he said.
Over 250 international observers witnessed the referendum. They
represented the CIS, the EU Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE and other
international organisations.


.Lavrov, Serdyukov go to Paris for Security Council.

MOSCOW, September 6 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov and Defence minister Anatoliy Serdyukov come on Monday to Paris to
meet with France's counterparts over the bilateral Russian-French Security
Cooperation Council on September 7.
"The key aspects for discussions in two-plus-two format will be the
complex of questions on the improvement of stability in Europe," a source
in Russia's foreign ministry said. "The sides will discuss the initiative
of Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on the Agreement on European
security, France's initiative to organise the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian
security space, the Russian-German idea to organise a Russia-EU Committee
on foreign politics."
The ministers will discuss in detail future relations between Russia
and NATO, the non-proliferation aspects, and anti-missiles systems, along
with the traditional settlement of the situation in the Middle East and
fighting drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
"Moscow expects constructive discussion of joint efforts in fighting
sea piracy," the source said. "The cooperation might concern immediate
reactions and the organisation of the international mechanism of criminal
proceedings."
Ecology catastrophes and natural calamities may be another key issue
for discussions.
"The heat wave in Central Russia, the wildfires, the flood in Pakistan
have shown the necessity of international cooperation in emergencies," and
Moscow supports establishment of specialised emergency pools.
On Tuesday, Sarkozy will meet with Russia's ministers.
Moscow has highlighted the importance of such meetings in the
development of strategic partnership at all levels.
The cooperation council is a unique mechanism of interaction between
Russia and France on foreign policies and security, where the sides
discuss their positions on vital issues. The presidents of Russia and
France initiated organizing the structure back in 2002. The meetings are
organized in turns in Moscow and Paris.


.Patrushev, Ishayev to chair meeting on Far East development.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 6 (Itar-Tass) -- The results of the Far East's
development over the first six months of the current year will be
discussed by the regional governors during a meeting supervised by
presidential envoy in the Far East Federal District Igor Ishayev.
Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev will co-chair the
meeting.
The participants in the meeting will discuss use of energy resources
and implementation of major projects to develop the Far East energy
infrastructures, measures to secure seismic resistance of the objects in
the regions, and protection of forests from fires.
Dramatic earthquakes occur in Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Kuril
Islands every three years. Over the past two decades, a Neftegorsk village
in northern Sakhalin was destroyed, 250 buildings were damaged in Nevelsk,
where old houses were removed to be replaced with seismically stable new
ones. Several settlements were destroyed over an earthquake in Kamchatka.
The Far East suffers from forest fires a lot. Almost 250,000 hectares
of forests, steppes and tundra burned down there over the current year.

-0-kar


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