South Ossetia's economy to grow as agriculture develops - Kokoity.

VLADIKAVKAZ, April 1 (Itar-Tass) - South Ossetia will soon begin to
implement a large-scale project on agricultural development, the republic'
s president, Eduard Kokoity, told reporters on Wednesday.
The republic's agricultural complex should turn into a major
budget-forming sector, he said.
"Although the restoration of destroyed facilities remains our
priority, we begin to revive our economic sector," Kokoity said.
The president stressed that South Ossetia "has all opportunities for
supporting entrepreneurs and farmers from budget funds."
"Moreover, we need to attract investments. Russian and foreign
businesses show interest in our sparkling mineral water," he said.
"Every year South Ossetia imports food stuff and agricultural goods
worth 7 billion roubles. If we produce goods worth 4 billion roubles, we
will be able to fully form our budget revenue," Kokoity said.



.Russian-Venezuelan intergovernmental commission begins work.

CARACAS, April 1 (Itar-Tass) - The seventh meeting of the
Russian-Venezuelan high-level intergovernmental commission began in
Caracas on Wednesday on the eve of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's
visit to the Latin American country.
The commission focuses on stronger cooperation in energy, exploration
of natural resources, agriculture, financing, education, science, culture
and tourism.
The meeting of the intergovernmental commission "will give a fresh
impetus to trade and economic cooperation with Russia and strengthen the
two countries' strategic alliance," Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua
said in his opening remarks to the forum.
He pointed to "the results of joint projects in the oil, gas and
mining industries" and mutually advantageous energy cooperation.
Jaua stressed importance of pending agreements on agriculture and on
the creation of a joint venture between the Venezuelan Petroleum
Corporation and the National Oil Consortium of Russian companies to
develop the Junin 6 oil deposit in the Orinoco River Basin. The two
countries also plan to set up an emergency management centre.
Russian Vice Premier Igor Sechin, who co-chairs the commission,
underlined that he was making preparations for Putin's visit to Venezuela.
"Russia attaches great importance to relations with Venezuela," he
said.
"Russian and Venezuelan companies are in talks on a wide range of
projects that will soon boost supplies, services delivery and finally,
will improve our citizens' living standards," Sechin said.
He expressed the hope that concrete contracts will be signed,
including those on supplies of Russian cars and trucks to Venezuela.



.Medvedev to discuss domestic situation with party leaders.
(adds)

MOSCOW, April 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will
hold a traditional meeting with leaders of the country's parliamentary
parties on Thursday.
The discussion will begin from analyzing the country's situation
following the blasts in the Moscow metro and Dagestan that killed dozens
of people.
United Russia will speak on the need for joint efforts to counteract a
threat of terrorism, a high-level official in the party that enjoys a
parliamentary majority told Itar-Tass.
The leader of the Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, did not rule out
on Wednesday that he would raise an issue of the Cabinet's staff
reshuffle, as the government "copes with no task."
"We cannot go out of the whirlpool of corruption and terror acts, if
we have no professional staff at all levels," he said stressing that the
fight against terrorism requires a comprehensive approach, including
reconsideration of the social and economic policy and of a "senseless and
unproductive" reform of the armed forces and the Interior Ministry.
Just Russia noted that the issue of how the political community should
react to new terror acts should be seriously discussed.
"We will call for protection of civil liberties irrespective of any
actions of law enforcement agencies," said Nikolai Levichev, the leader of
the party's Duma faction. "What is most dangerous is that political
modernization that began only recently can be hampered and backpedalled
under the slogans of "destruction" and "tougher control measures."
Moreover, all parliamentary parties, except for United Russia, hope to
discuss with the president further modernization of the country's
political system and election legislation.
Zyuganov noted that "several steps were made towards" the
parliamentary opposition after the meeting of the state council on the
political system reform, but the single voting day proved that "the
election system is made for the ruling party."
The leader of Just Russia Party, Sergei Mironov, said in turn he was
drafting a report for president on all facts of the unfair competition
during the regional elections in March.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party, also
saw gaps in the election legislation. In particular, he believes that the
regional elections should take place once and not twice a year.
He plans to put forward an initiative of changing the date of
elections to the State Duma.
"We consider it expedient to put them off from December to March 2011.
There will be a twelve-month break between the Duma elections and the
presidential election, which will make it possible to hold the 2012
presidential campaign more effectively and calmly," he said.

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