Lavrov, Burns to discuss bilateral relations, intl agenda.

MOSCOW, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov on Wednesday will meet with U.S. Undersecretary of State for
Political Affairs William Burns, who is currently on a two-day visit to
the Russian capital.
Burns has arrived in Russia to discuss bilateral relations and the
international agenda, as well as future projects within the framework of
the Russian-U.S. presidential commission, the U.S. Department of State
said earlier. Burns' program also includes talks with Russian Deputy
Foreign Ministers Grigory Karasin and Sergei Ryabkov.
On Tuesday, Burns met with a number of Russian top-ranking government
officials and leaders of civil and human rights organizations.
After his Russian visit, the U.S. Undersecretary of State will head
for Ukraine, where on September 9 through 10 he is planned to meet with
the Ukrainian government members and activists of non-government
organizations to look into possibilities of closer strategic partnership
between Washington and Kiev.

.Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian FMs to discuss Eastern Partnership
initiative.

MINSK, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- The Belarusian, Lithuanian and
Ukrainian foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday at the Belarusian
president's residence Zaslavl outside Minsk to discuss EU's initiative
Eastern Partnership.
Sergei Martynov of Belarus, Audronius Azubalis of Lithuania, and
Konstantin Grishchenko of Ukraine will "discuss the current state and
development prospects of the European Union's initiative Eastern
Partnership, variants of coordination of efforts by Belarus, Lithuania and
Ukraine to promote common interests within this initiative, including
implementation of joint projects," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.
"Participants in the meeting will also discuss acute issues of
Belarusian-Ukrainian and Belarusian-Lithuanian cooperation."

.Chuvashia parliament to vote on republic's prime minister.

CHEBOKSARY, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- The State Council (parliament)
of Russia's republic of Chuvashia on Wednesday will vote on the candidacy
of Nina Suslonova for the post of the republic's prime minister.
After the new head of the republic, Mikhail Ignatyev, took up the
office on August 29, 2010, the republic's entire cabinet was sent to
resignation, as stipulated by Chuvashia's constitution. Nina Suslonova,
50, who had headed the republican government since April 8, 2010, was
appointed acting chairperson of the cabinet of ministers. Ignatyev
submitted her candidacy to the local parliament on September 6.
Suslonova graduated from the medical department of the Chuvash state
university. She is Doctor of Sciences in medicine and holds the title of
Honoured Physician of the Russian Federation. In recent years, she was
Chuvashia's minister of health and social development, and then deputy
prime minister of the republic. In 1996, she graduated from the Russian
Academy of State Service majoring in law.

.Russian State Duma to hear report by justice minister.

MOSCOW, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Members of the Russian State Duma
lower parliament house on Wednesday will hear a report by the country's
Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov on the state of the court system in
Russia.
According to Konovalov's earlier reports, the number of those who were
arrested before trial decreased by 20 percent in the first six months of
2010. In his words, it was a result of amendments to laws applicable to
those who commit economic or minor crimes.
Apart from this, the State Duma will consider in the second reading a
package of bills cancelling district courts in a number of Russian
regions, and will make amendments specifying the competences of regional
authorities.

.Russian dredging vessel thrown ashore near Sakhalin.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- A Russian dredging vessel has
been thrown ashore the Sakhalin island of Moneron in the Far East, a
spokesman for the Vladivostok sea rescue centre said on Wednesday.
The Nikolai Kasatkin motor vessel has arrived in the troubled area to
help the Anabar dredging vessel with 20 crewmembers aboard, although it
cannot start rescue operations because of strong wind and three-meter
waves, the spokesman said.
The Anabar sailed off from the city of Yakutsk in early August. She
sailed along the River Lena and the Northern Sea Route heading for
Sakhalin to take part in gas pipeline laying operations across the Tatar
Strait. On Tuesday, the vessel ran upon rocks and got struck near the
island of Moneron.
-0-ras


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