Duma speaker signs coop agreement with Cuba National Assembly.

HAVANA, December 31 (Itar-Tass) - The speakers of the State Duma lower
house of Russia's parliament and the National Assembly of Cuba on Thursday
signed an agreement on inter-parliamentary cooperation. The document was
signed by Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov who is in Cuba on an official visit,
and President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba (ANPP)
Ricardo Alarcon.
"This agreement opens new opportunities for enhancing dialogue and
broadening the scope of joint actions of legislators of the two states,"
said Gryzlov. Cuba has become the first country "in the whole Latin and
Central American space," which signed an agreement of this kind. "The
parliamentary component in the development of economic, political and
humanitarian relations is very important," he said.
Ricardo Alarcon, in turn, thanked the Russian parliament for
solidarity with Cuba in the struggle of the Caribbean country for the
abolition of trade-economic and financial embargo by the United States. He
praised the existing relations between the two countries' parliaments.
"All this testifies to the brotherly, strong and friendly relations with
the prospects for further development between the Russian Federation and
Cuba," said Alarcon.
On Thursday, the State Duma speaker discussed economic development
issues with Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Cuba,
co-chairman of the Russian-Cuban intergovernmental commission from the
Cuban side Ricardo Cabrisas, as well as participated in a wreath-laying
ceremony at the memorial to Soviet soldiers-internationalists in the
suburbs of Havana.
Gryzlov's visit will continue till January 2. During the visit, the
speaker is meeting officials from the Cuban leadership, Russian Ambassador
to Cuba Mikhail Kamynin told Russian reporters earlier. According to
Kamynin, the invitation to visit Havana was relayed to Gryzlov during the
recent trip to Russia by Ricardo Alarcon. This visit will become "a
logical conclusion" of the year marking the 50th anniversary of the
restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and Cuba, the
ambassador said. This year a lot of events devoted to Russia have been
held in Cuba, he added. They have once again "confirmed a vast potential
of friendship and solidarity existing in relations between our countries,"
he said. Besides, they have demonstrated that "cooperation between Moscow
and Havana acquires more and more strategic nature and is aimed into the
future," Kamynin stressed.
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.British foreign secr expresses concern over Khodorkovsky verdict.

LONDON, December 31 (Itar-Tass) - British Foreign Secretary William
Hague has expressed concern over the verdict of a Moscow court against the
former head of Yukos oil company, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, it is said in a
statement the Foreign Office released on Thursday night.
"I am deeply concerned by the implications of this case concerning
Mikhail Khodorkovsky for confidence in how the law is applied in Russia.
"The UK calls on Russia to respect the principles of justice and apply the
rule of law in a non-discriminatory and proportional way. In the absence
of this the UK and much of the international community will regard such a
trial as a retrograde step," William Hague stated.
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.Pre-trial investigation of Timoshenko case completed.

KIEV, December 31 (Itar-Tass) - Pre-trial investigation in the case of
the Batkivschina party leader, former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia
Timoshenko is completed. She made this statement at midnight, after a more
than 11-hour interrogation at the Prosecutor General's Office.
Timoshenko said that the case files have been given to her to
familiarise. However, the former prime minister said she has again been
summoned to the Central Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General'
s Office on December 31. "I'm sorry, but tomorrow I must be here again. I'
ll be coming going there as long as necessary," Timoshenko told
journalists and her allies at the Prosecutor General's Office building.
Timoshenko's questioning started on Thursday noon. On entering the
building she congratulated her supporters on New Year's and Christmas
holidays and asked them, as well as journalists not to wait for the
completion of her interrogation, "but go to their families and prepare for
the holiday." Timoshenko said that "the interrogation may last for a very
long time."
On December 29, Timoshenko was interrogated for six hours. According
to the leader of the opposition party, all this time she was interrogated
about the misuse of funds received under the Kyoto Protocol.
Former head of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers is charged with
making a decision on the use funds received from the sale of quotas for
greenhouse gas emissions, to cover expenditure of the state budget of
Ukraine, primarily on pensions.
On December 24 Timoshenko stated that additional charges of causing
damage to the state amounting to 960 thousand hrivnas (some 120 thousand
US dollars) were brought against her.
On December 20, the Prosecutor General's Office said that as prime
minister Timoshenko, "acting deliberately and driven by her personal
interests," made the decision to "use a part of the proceeds from the sale
of greenhouse emission quotas intended for stated purposes for financing
Ukraine's national budget expenses, primarily pension obligations."
Timoshenko was made give a written pledge not to leave the city.
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