.Dutch delegation heading for Moscow to discuss agro exports.

THE HAGUE, February 14 (Itar-Tass) - A Dutch delegation is heading to
Moscow for talks on lifting barriers for the export of agricultural
products to the Russian market.
The state secretary of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs,
Agriculture & Innovation, Henk Bleker, will hold the talks with Russia's
Minister of Agriculture, Yelena Skrynnik, on Monday, the press service of
the Dutch ministry told Itar-Tass.
Russia is an important market for the Dutch agricultural products, but
the toughening of Russia's veterinary and phytosanitary norms makes it
less accessible for this group of goods from the Netherlands, the Dutch
ministry said.
Moreover, Russia's current inspection requirements to the imported
agricultural items became tougher than in many EU countries. As a result,
Dutch agricultural producers complain of trade barriers created for their
goods.
Moreover, the Russian side challenges independence of the Netherlands'
s phytosanitary inspections that are carried out in that country by
private firms.
During the talks the delegation led by Bleker will try to persuade
their Russian counterparts that the system of phytosanitary and veterinary
inspections meets Russia's standards and Moscow has no reasons for banning
the Dutch products.
The export of the Netherlands's agricultural goods, mainly vegetables
and ornamental plants, to Russia has been growing since 2004 reaching over
1.5 billion euro in 2008. However, amid the global economic downfall it
shrank to 1.1 billion euro. However, beyond the European Union Russia
still remains the Netherlands's main foreign market after the United
States.
According to different estimates, approximately 5 percent of Russia's
agricultural import accounts for the Netherlands.



.Vienna consultations to focus on Dniester talks resumption.

CHISINAU, February 14 (Itar-Tass) - Opportunities for the resumption
of the official negotiations on the Dniester region conflict settlement
will top the agenda of the consultations in the five-plus-two format that
begin in Vienna on Monday.
The Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis,
told reporters that ahead of the consultations he visited Moldova, Russia
and Ukraine that confirmed the necessity of the soonest possible
resumption of the talks.
However, the unrecognized republic insists that it is still early to
resume the dialogue. Tiraspol accused Chisinau of pressure and
non-fulfillment of the agreements that had already been reached.
"Moldova in many respects does not fulfill what had been signed and
decided. At the same time the enforcement actions are taken only against
us," the leader of the Dniester region, Igor Smirnov, said at the meeting
with the OSCE chairman-in-office. "Along with this we have nothing against
the talks, but the talks should be effective."
Azubalis noted that during the negotiations that were launched in 1994
a huge package of documents was developed, but at present, it needs a
revision.
Speaking about the five-plus-two format of the consultations, the
diplomat underlined that it did not exhaust its potential and should not
be changed.
He believes that the main problem is that it is necessary to establish
clear rules of the negotiations as "if these rules are unclear and vague,
the negotiations will be at a standstill, what we have in this case."
The talks in the five-plus-two format (Moldova, the Dniester region,
OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and observers from the United States and the
European Union) were disrupted in February 2006. Chisinau and Tiraspol
managed to resume the dialogue in two years with Russia's assistance. In
April 2008 the first meeting after a seven year break took place between
Moldova's then president Vladimir Voronin and the Dniester region's leader
Igor Smirnov. Later this process was suspended over unstable political
situation in Moldova that has been failing to elect a president for the
second year running.



.Flu epidemic to subside in Russia in two weeks - Rospotrebnadzor.

MOSCOW, February 14 (Itar-Tass) - A flu epidemic that has been
gripping Russia since December will subside in about two weeks, the
country's consumer rights watchdog forecast.
"On the average the seasonal flu lasts from three to six weeks,"
specialists said.
The beginning of the flu epidemic rise was registered in some regions
of the Siberian and North-Western federal districts last December. Then in
January regions of the Central and Volga federal districts joined the
epidemic.
The number of patients infected with H1N1 pandemic flu increased every
week. In some regions the virus strain was reported in 30 percent of all
flu cases.
"Intensity of the epidemic process of flu and acute respiratory
infections is moderate in the country in general, much lower than that
registered in the 2009-2010 epidemic season," a source in Rospotrebnadzor
said.
Pre-school age and small school age children are infected most often.
Over the past two weeks over 7,000 schools and kindergartens were
closed over the outbreak of the flu.
Specialists say that the quarantine in schools yielded positive
results and helped to considerably reduce the flu incidence rate.

-0-isk/


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