New START restores strategic stability and balance between US and RF.

WASHINGTON, February 17 (Itar-Tass) --The New START treaty between the
United States and Russia restores strategic stability and balance on both
sides, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Ellen Tauscher said.
In her opinion, the signing of the treaty signifies a common approach
on both sides.
Speaking of missile defence, she said it would offer advantages not
only to the U.S. but also to its NATO partners and Russia.
Tauscher expressed confidence that Russia and the U.S. would be able
to work in this filed without intimidating each other.
She said earlier that the New START Treaty, signed by U.S. President
Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Prague on April 8,
2010, would not constrain U.S. missile defence programmes.
"The new START Treaty does not constrain U.S. missile defence
programs. The United States will continue to improve our missile defences,
as needed, to defend ourselves, our deployed forces, and our allies and
partners," Tauscher said.
She noted that Russia's unilateral statement on a possible secession
from the treaty if the U.S. missile defence threatens its security "is not
an integral part of the New START Treaty. It's not legally-binding. It
won' t constrain U.S. missile defence programmes."
Tauscher said the United States would deploy "the most effective
missile defences possible, and the New START Treaty does not impose any
additional cost or inconvenience to those efforts".
She also said the U.S. was open to Russia's participation in any NATO
missile defence architecture.
Russia will accept NATO's proposal to create a joint missile defence
system if it's a serious proposal, President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier.
"If this is a serious proposal, we can [say yes to NATO's offer of
cooperation with Russia in the creation of a common missile defence system
not only for Europe but for Russia and Europe]," he said.

.Duma may pass law on multiple fines for bribery by April.

MOSCOW, February 17 (Itar-Tass) -- The State Duma may pass the law
introducing multiple fines for bribery by April, the chairman of the
Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Development, Vladimir
Pligin, said.
The law was submitted to the lower house of parliament by President
Dmitry Medvedev.
Pligin welcomed the president's initiative as "an important step
against corruption".
"Up till now, members of the white-collar criminal community had the
impression that their property cannot be taken away from them for a bribe.
A fine of up to 500 million roubles will dismiss this illusion to a large
extent," the lawmaker said.
The draft law also punishes persons who mediate in the process of
bribing. It amends the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative
Offences "with the view to perfecting state governance in counteracting
corruption".
The document amends the Criminal Code to add provisions that hike the
fines for commercial bribery, bribe taking, bribe giving and bribery
mediation to 100-times of the sum of a bribe, but no more than 500 million
roubles.
The Russian Code of Administrative Offences will get a new chapter on
legal assistance in cases involving administrative offences, if the
necessary proceedings have to be carried out in a foreign state, primarily
against the legal entities involved in bribery.
The Russian government proposed a draft law authorising confiscation
of property for corruption.
The draft law suggests amending Article 104.1 of the Criminal Code to
include a provision on confiscation of money, values and other property
obtained through money laundering.
The main purpose of the draft law is to prevent money laundering and
make the right against economic crimes more effective.
The Russian Interior Ministry, in turn, suggested enlarging the list
of grounds for the confiscation of property from government officials
charged with corruption.
The Russian government and the Supreme Court have already given
positive assessments of the draft law.

.Ukrainian court extends custody for former interior minister.

KIEV, February 17 (Itar-Tass) -- Kiev's Pechersky Court has extended
the custody for former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko till
April 26.
On December 13, the ex-minister and his driver, Leonid Pristuplyuk,
were charged with large-scale embezzlement of state property, abuse of
office and use of forged documents.
In addition, one more criminal case of abuse of authority and office
was opened against Lutsenko.
Lutsenko was detained on December 26, 2010 by the Security Service
near his home. On December 27, 2010, the Pechersky Court ordered him into
custody.
Officers of the Ukrainian Security Service, in the presence of
representatives of the prosecutor's office, put him into a car and drove
away. Prior to that the prosecutor's office had slapped on the ex-minister
an accusation of committing crimes, connected with embezzling state
property on a large scale by abusing his office.


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