.Itar-Tass overnight news cycle for September 13 - 3.

.Medvedev's visit to Cyprus to be historic event.

NICOSIA, September 13 (Itar-Tass) -- A forthcoming visit of Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev to Cyprus due in early October will be a
historic event, Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said at an opening
ceremony of the 4th Cypriot-Russian gala concert, which was held at the
Cypriot presidential residence on Sunday.
Speaking for more than 700 guests, who gathered on the lawn near the
presidential palace, Christofias stated that he did not want to read the
speech prepared in advance and addressed to them in Russian, "For the
first time the Russian president will visit Cyprus. We will sign many
agreements and protocols and will build up the foundations of the
relations between the two countries and their nations."
The president emphasized that the gala concert, in which Russian,
Cypriot and Greek performers participated, was held ahead of the 50th
anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus and the
establishment of Cypriot-Russian diplomatic relations. "The relations
between our countries were established in the first days of the
independence of the republic. Since then the Soviet Union, and then Russia
gave the most reliable support in the struggle for independence, peace and
dignity of the Cypriot nation. We are working together in the U.N. and all
other international organizations. Russia and Cyprus were, are and will
always be fraternal nations," the Cypriot president underlined.
The 4th Cypriot-Russian gala concert is one of the major cultural
events on the island this year. The performances of classical and pop
music stars from Russia, Cyprus and Greece were on the program of the
concert. Russian opera singer Lyobov Kazarnovskaya, the Kremlin Chamber
Orchestra conducted by Misha Rakhlevsky, the Oleg Lundstrem State Jazz
Orchestra, Russian bard singer Alexander Rozenbaum, the only professional
Cypriot ballet company Dance Cyprus and the most popular modern Greek
singer, Antonis Remos, performed in the concert.
The gala concert was held traditionally under the patronage of Cypriot
First Lady Elsie Christofia. The London-based production company Ensemble
Productions in cooperation with the Cypriot Ministry of Education and
Culture and with the assistance of the Russian Embassy in Nicosia
organized the concert. Interros International Investments Ltd was the
primary sponsor of the event.
Along with the obvious cultural and political importance the concert
also played a serious public role, because all the ticket sales will be
donated to the most long-standing Cypriot charity - the Radiomarathon
Foundation for children with disabilities.

.Intl Court of Justice to begin RF-Georgia hearings on Aug 2008 war.

THE HAGUE, September 13 (Itar-Tass) -- The International Court of
Justice, which is the U.N. supreme legal instance, will begin
Russia-Georgian week-long deliberations here on Monday over the tragic
events in South Ossetia in August 2008. On August 12, 2008, Georgia filed
a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice accusing Russia of
violating the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination.
During the court deliberations each party will have an opportunity to
challenge the arguments of another party. Russia will lay down its
position on September 13 and September 15, Georgia - on September 14 and
September 17. The court deliberations due to begin on Monday will be
devoted not to the merit proceedings on Georgia's lawsuit versus Russia,
but only to the preliminary objections that Russia had filed to the
International Court of Justice in December 2009, the court press service
reported. Therefore, Russia will start the hearings, because a party that
initiated the court deliberations is always empowered to be the first to
put forward its arguments.
According to the court regulations, the text of preliminary objections
is confidential before the hearings, but it is clear that Russia contests
the dramatic events in South Ossetia are within the jurisdiction of the
International Court of Justice and affirms that the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is
unacceptable in this case. Russia also states that other ways of conflict
settlement were not applied in this case - there were neither negotiations
nor the exchange of opinions between the parties to the conflict. Instead
of this Georgia filed hastily a lawsuit in the U.N supreme legal instance.
After that Russia filed the country's preliminary objections in the
International Court of Justice in December 2009 and the merit proceedings
on Georgia's lawsuit versus Russia were suspended. The resumption of the
merit proceedings will depend on a court ruling made upon the results of
forthcoming hearings. The pronouncement of a verdict may take several
months, but it is not ruled out that a verdict may be made before the end
of this year, a source in the International Court of Justice told
Itar-Tass. Three scenarios are possible: the court will agree with Russia'
s arguments and will terminate the merit proceedings; the court will not
agree with them and the merit proceedings will be resumed; the court will
rule to continue the proceedings but with due account of the preliminary
objections, which Russia filed.
Director of the Legal Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Kirill Gevorgian, Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Roman Kolodkin and
invited lawyers specialized in international law will represent Russia at
the court deliberations. Deputy Justice Minister Tina Burdzhaliani,
Georgian Ambassador to the Netherlands Shota Gvineria and invited lawyers
will represent Georgia.
Russian-Georgian hearings were already held in the International Court
of Justice on September 8-10, 2008, at the request of Georgia, which
demanded "take temporary measures to protect the rights of the Georgian
population." Then the International Court of Justice urged both parties to
the conflict to refrain from all forms of racial discrimination over the
tragic events in South Ossetia and from the support of such actions. Thus,
the court turned down Georgia's request for drastic measures, which the
latter demanded to take against Russia and did not recognize either party
lawful in its actions and made the same appeals to both conflicting
parties.
-0-baz


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