Russia, Iran agree to further cooperate in peaceful use of nuclear power

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MOSCOW, November 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia and Iran have agreed to
continue their cooperation in the sphere of the peaceful use of nuclear
power on the basis of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said on Thursday, commenting on the meeting between the two
presidents held within the Caspian summit in Baku.
"The Bushehr nuclear plant will soon be physically launched," he said.
"The project is at the final phase."
"The two presidents expressed satisfaction with the process and agreed
to continue cooperation in this sphere in line with international law and
IAEA and non-proliferation treaty norms," Lavrov stressed.

.Medvedev to announce Russia's air defence proposals at Lisbon summit.

MOSCOW, November 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
will announce Russia's initiatives in the sphere of air defence at a
Russian-NATO summit in Lisbon on Saturday, presidential aide Sergei
Prokhodko said on Thursday.
"Addressing the summit, the president will announce a number of ideas
about how to build cooperation in the air defence sphere in the years to
come," he said. "We want Russia's opinion, as an equal partner, be taken
into consideration while evaluating threats and outlining practical steps."
"Details of the Russian initiative are being worked on," the
presidential aide went on. "It (the initiative) is likely to be shaped as
proposals for thinking over and for cooperation. It will take time to
finalized these ideas."
He said he was sure it was quite possible to create a common security
system, including in the area of anti-missile defence. He said he meant an
integrated anti-missile system that would incorporate national air defence
systems of NATO member states coordinated from a single headquarters.
"We are ready to be integrated (into such system)," Prikhodko
stressed. "It is a practical issue. Experts believe its implementation, in
case there is a political will, is hampered by no insurmountable
difficulties. It is a matter of a medium-term rather than a long-term
perspective. It is not a global anti-missile system, which is quite
another issue, but what concerns a tactical system, it is quite possible.
I think it is a matter of political will."
"We are absolutely interested that a would-be European anti-missile
system does not disunite NATO countries and Russia, but on the contrary,
that it strengthens security of all European states with no exclusions,
emphasising indivisible nature of security," he stressed. "Resolutions (on
the issue) will be taken in the next few years but their consequences will
influence cooperation for decades, that is why we must choose a right
signal today."
"Generally speaking, Russia's participation in the European
anti-missile system is a kind of answer to President Medvedev's proposal
(to sign a European security treaty), if we speak about joint responses,
assessment of threats and challenges; it is one of small segments," he
noted.
Speaking about this document, Prikhodko stressed that it was vital for
Moscow to continue discussions of its initiative to sign a legally binding
European security treaty. "We are satisfied that it was generally met with
interest," he said. "We believe the Euro-Atlantic process has been set in
motion and we have a good opportunity to work on final demolition of
dividing lines."
"As a matter of fact, we think it important not to just adopt the
document or fix terms but rather to involve professionals into the
discussion," he added.

.Russia wants fair trial against Bout - Russian FM.

MOSCOW, November 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia wants a fair trial against
its citizen Viktor Bout, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on
Thursday.
"We are not saying Bout has committed nothing illegal," he stressed.
"We do not know for sure. No one knows until a judgement is passed."
"We are advocating the rights of our citizen that are secured by all
international norms. And we want justice to be administrated. Nothing
more," he stressed.
"There are too many speculations around this subject in the Western
media, from our political scientists. They accuse us of almost covering up
a criminal, although no court has of yet pleaded him guilty of anything,"
Lavrov said.
"I want to make it absolutely clear. We must always protect the rights
of our citizens if they are in trouble, no matter whether these citizens
are suspects or not," he emphasized. "All the more, when there has been no
trial. This is what we mean when insisting on consular access to Viktor
Bout."
According to the foreign minister, Russia's consul general in New York
has had a contact with Bout. "The conditions he is being kept in are far
from being ideal. He has no hygienic items. We shall see to it that he has
some," he added.
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