Russia urges Israel to stop settlement construction in West Bank.

UNITED NATIONS, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia urges Israel's
government to freeze construction of settlements in the West Bank, which
violates international law and hinders Palestinian-Israeli talks, Russia's
permanent representative at the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told a U.N.
Security Council session on Friday.
The U.N. Security Council on Friday failed to pass a resolution
condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory. The United State
delegation vetoed the draft. The other 14 council members voted in favor
of the draft resolution. But the United States, as one of the five
permanent council members with the power to block any action by the
Security Council, voted against it and struck it down.
"The Russian Federation voted in favour of the draft resolution,
proceeding from its principled position: we accept no unilateral steps
prejudging the outcome of the talks on the final status," Churkin said.
"Unfortunately, today there were no unity among the Security Council
members and the draft was not adopted."
In his words, the problem of Israeli settlements "remains on the
agenda and will become ever more pressing."
"As a U.N. Security Council member and one of the four Middle East
mediators, Russia will continue to urge the sides to resume direct
dialogue, it will actively cooperate with regional and international
partners in efforts to find a fair and comprehensive peaceful settlement
in the region in line with U.N. Security Council resolutions, the Madrid
principles and the Arab peace initiative," the Russian diplomat stressed.
He also expressed the hope that "the Russian initiative to send the
Security Council's first-ever large-scale mission to the Middle East will
be an actual contribution to promoting the peace process." The initiative
was voiced by the Russian permanent representative on February 9, 2010.

.Gazprom introduces special gas supplies scheme over frosts in 42 regs.

MOSCOW, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's national gas utility
Gazprom has adopted a special gas supplies scheme for 42 Russian region
because of severe frosts, the Prime-Tass economic news agency reported on
Friday, citing a company spokesman.
Thus, under the so-called Scheme 1 clients will be provided with
reserve types of fuel to meet growing demand of the population and public
utilities, Igor Volobuyev told journalists.
"Scheme 1 is annually approved by regional administrations and obliges
industrial gas consumers to have reserve types of fuel in the winter
period. It sets no limits for the population and public utilities," he
said.

.20 ships continue search for Amethyst trawler in Sea of Okhotsk.
19/2 Tass 47

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Twenty fishing
vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk continue the search for the Amethyst trawler
that went missing on February 11, but so far in vain, a source in the
Kamchatka territory government told Itar-Tass on Saturday after a meeting
of an emergencies commission.
The Anadyr border patrol ship is coordinating the search in the area.
So far, it is impossible to employ aircraft because of unfavourable
weather.
Rescuers have surveyed a total of 140,000 square miles of the Sea of
Okhotsk in the search for the missing trawler Amethyst, a territory eight
times as big as the ship might be traced, even with account of her
possible leeway. However, they have found neither the ship no traces of
her wreck.
The rescue operation has been recognized unprecedented in its scale.
Over the last week, almost all the ships sailing the accident area were
involved in search operations. Aerial surveys were conducted by Pacific
Fleet and Federal Security Service aircraft, and by helicopters of the
Russian Emergencies Ministry and Kamchatka Airlines.
The search for the missing trawler is coordinated by the response
headquarters, created under the captain of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port.
The Kamchatka territory governor Alexei Kuzmitsky has taken the situation
under personal control.
Amethyst belongs to the Kamchatka Institute of Fisheries and
Oceanography (KamchatNIRO), her home port is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The
vessel was engaged in crab fishery at sea. The last radio contact with the
ship took place on February 10. On February 11, the ship for the last time
transmitted location. There has been no communication with the ship since
then. The ship's whereabouts and the fate of the crew are unknown.
The Kamchatka transport prosecutor's has launched a check into the
observance of the maritime safety legislation during the operation of the
Amethyst.

.Five killed, two injured in traffic accident in Irkutsk region.

IRKUTSK, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Five persons were killed and two
more injured in a car crash in Irkutsk region, a spokesman for the local
emergencies administration told Itar-Tass on Saturday.
According to the spokesman, the accident occurred in a busy highway
some 70 kilometres off Irkutsk, when Suzuki Escudo and Hyundai Grace, both
running at a high speed, rammed into each other.
-0-ras