Russian, NATO navy commanders discuss anti-piracy effort.

KALININGRAD, March 12 (Itar-Tass) -- Rear Admiral Bernard Miranda, who
has recently assumed command of the Coalition counter-piracy unit,
Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, met on Thursday with the commander of the
Russian Baltic Fleet unit Pavel Yasnitsky to discuss joint actions in
fighting Somali sea pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa.

The Russian Navy headquarters said Miranda and Yasnitsky met onboard
the Neustrashimy frigate "to exchange information on problems of
countering piracy and ensuring security of civilian navigation in the
region."
It said a Russian military helicopter brought Miranda to Neustrashimy
from USS Farragut.
The Russian Navy said its warships mounted their presence in the
region in 2010. The big anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko of the
Northern fleet with several support vessels is currently in the area. The
Pacific fleet has dispatched the big anti-submarine ship Admiral
Shaposhnikov to the Horn of Africa.
"Their mission is to ensure security in the piracy area and protect
civilian vessels from attacks of sea bandits," it said.

.Yanukovich to clarify coalition dispute in court.

KIEV, March 12 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich
will ask the Constitutional Court to consider the legitimacy of the new
parliamentary coalition and will dissolve the Supreme rada if the Court
rules the coalition is unconstitutional.
"The president will ask the Constitutional Court to answer the
requests of lawmakers about the legitimacy of the new coalition and new
government. The court has three months to make a judgment," first deputy
head of the presidential administration Anna German told the TV Channel 5
on Thursday.
If the court rules the coalition is illegitimate, Yanukovich will
announce early parliamentary elections, she said.
"During the three months the government will work and launch the
reform mechanism," German said.

.Gorbachev says democracy backtracked in Russia.

MOSCOW, March 12 (Itar-Tass) -- Former Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev said democracy had backtracked in Russia and urged authorities
to develop civil society in order to promote modernization of the country.
"Dissatisfaction with the current situation has been growing of late,"
Gorbachev said in an article in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Friday devoted to 25
years of his perestroika policy.
"I am deeply convinced the country can progress only on the path of
democracy. And much has been lost. Democratic processes have stalled and
often backtracked," he said.
Gorbachev said there is no true division of powers between various
authorities, as the executive authority makes all major decisions and
parliament automatically approves them.
"There is a feeling that authorities fear civil society and want to
control everything," he said.
Gorbachev believes authoritarian rule was justified in the first term
of office of President Vladimir Putin in early '2000s. "The very existence
of Russia was at stake and elements of authoritarian rule were justified.
But today other approaches are necessary," he said.
Gorbachev backs the modernization drive announced by President Dmitry
Medvedev, but fears the task can be hardly implemented without engaging
ordinary people.
"There will be no modernization if people stay aside as pawns again.
There is only one recipe for them to feel as citizens and be citizens - it
is democracy, law-governed state, open and honest dialogue between
authorities and the people," Gorbachev said.
"Stabilization of the situation in the country cannot be the only and
final aim. The main aim is development and modernization of the country,
progress to leading positions in the global and interdependent world.
Russia did not come closer to the goal in the past years," he added.
"Fear gets in our way. Both society and authorities fear whether a new
stage of democratization can trigger instability and even chaos. We have
to overcome the fears, as fear is a bad adviser," Gorbachev said and
recalled his own experience when he was late in reforming the political
system.
"Today there are more free and independent people in our society
capable of taking over the responsibility and supporting the democratic
processes. But much depends on what authorities will do," Gorbachev said.
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