Russia warns Japan territorial claims will not benefit relations.

MOSCOW, April 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia said on Thursday continued
Japanese territorial claims will hinder partnership and will not help
resolve the territorial dispute over four South Kuril Islands, which Japan
calls its "northern territories".
"The latest step by the Japanese side testifies to its intention to
move disputable and very sensitive issues in relations with Russia to the
foreground," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said commenting
on the amendments and additions adopted by the Japanese government to the
so-called Basic course to promote the solution of the Northern Territories
problem.
"The new edition of the document defines practical steps to implement
amendments approved by Japanese parliament in the summer of 2009 to the
law on 'special promotion measures'. It is clear that special emphasis is
laid on active propaganda of territorial claims to South Kurils, including
the use of visa-free exchanges with Russian residents on the islands for
the purpose," Nesterenko said.
"Repetition of the ungrounded territorial claims to Russia cannot
benefit the dialogue on the conclusion of Russian-Japanese peace treaty,
as well as maintenance of normal contacts between South Kurils, which are
part of the Sakhalin region of Russia, and Japan," he added.
"We hope Tokyo will in the final end conclude it is necessary to
reconsider approaches that do not promote the development of
Russian-Japanese partnership and do not bring the solution of the
territorial problem closer," Nesterenko said.

.Russia describes Helsinki commission statement as "clumsy".

MOSCOW, April 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian foreign ministry described
the statement of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, also known as Helsinki Commission, on the terrorist acts in the
Moscow metro as "inappropriate and clumsy."
The Commission said "the American people stand with the Russian people
in sympathy and solidarity", but added: "The architects of Russia's North
Caucasus policy don't ride the metro, especially not at eight in the
morning. These attacks targeted innocent working class people on their way
to jobs and schools. While this attack hit Moscow, it serves as a cry for
help to end the violence and poverty in Chechnya and neighboring regions
that engender the desperation that makes these sorts of incidents more
likely."
"We are grateful to the Helsinki Commission for the words of sympathy
and solidarity with the Russian people. However we believe the clumsy and
inappropriate considerations regarding the tragedy deserve no comment,"
Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said on Thursday.
"Let these wise considerations be at door of their authors
specifically as they contradict the unambiguous position expressed by the
world community and U.S. President Barack Obama that there can be no
justification of the barbaric act," Nesterenko said.
"We would like to hope the commission would in future be more
responsible in public assessments of issues that affect the feelings of
numerous people," the spokesman said.
Two suicide-bomber blasts in the Moscow metro killed 39 people and
left dozens injured on Monday.
The Helsinki Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal
Government charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords.

.Russia hopes for positive UN continental shelf recommendations.

MOSCOW, April 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia hopes the UN commission will
approve its renewed application for continental shelf delimitation in the
Sea of Okhotsk outside 200 nautical miles zone.
Russia first submitted an application regarding the Sea of Okhotsk and
the Arctic to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in
2001. "As for the Sea of Okhotsk the Commission issued several
recommendations and they are used in preparations of the application for
the mentioned area of the world ocean," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei
Nesterenko said on Thursday.
He said the application provides scientific substantiation that the
bed of the central part of the Sea of Okhotsk belongs to the Russian shelf.
"If the Commission rules the scientific substantiation to be
sufficient and issues positive recommendations regarding the renewed
Russian presentation of the Sea of Okhotsk, then, according to the 1982
Convention on the Law of the Sea, Russia shall be able to establish its
continental shelf in the region outside the 200-mile zone and its limits
will be obligatory for other states, and also to expand to the space its
rights to prospect and develop non-living resources," Nesterenko said.
Russian Deputy Natural Resources Minister Sergei Donskoi said the
application for expanded continental shelf will be submitted to the UN
Commission shortly.
Earlier Russia provided substantiation for expanded continental shelf
limits in the Arctic and in the central part of the Sea of Okhotsk.
However the Commission ruled no convincing proofs were provided. Donskoi
said additional substantiation on the Sea of Okhotsk took less time than
for the Arctic and a corresponding application will be submitted earlier.
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