Russia FM, CCASG head to talk investment partnership, reg security.

MOSCOW, April 21 (Itar-Tass) - Investment partnership and the
situation in the Middle East will be discussed in Moscow on Wednesday by
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary General of the
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG) Abdul Rahman
ibn Hamad al-Attiyah.
The influential Arab politician plans meetings with first deputy
chairman of the Federation Council upper house of Russia's parliament
Alexander Torshin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Yevgeny Primakov, as well as with the RF president's special Middle East
envoy, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov.
"During the forthcoming conversations the sides will discuss issues of
the development of relations of Russia with CCASG - an influential
organisation - in various spheres," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Andrei Nesterenko noted. "First of all regarding the strengthening of
political interaction on the most important international and regional
problems," he said.
"The sides will give special attention to the intensification of the
joint efforts for the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East, ensuring
security and stability in the Persian Gulf zone," the diplomat continued.
"The sides will outline prospects for the strengthening of the
trade-economic and investment of cooperation of Russia with the Council
within the framework of which major regional projects are implemented."
"In this connection possibilities are opening for Russian companies'
joining the construction of mega facilities of the energy sector,
infrastructure and in other spheres," Nesterenko stressed. "The secretary
general's visit is an important event within Russia's consistent course
for the development of friendly relations and mutually beneficial
cooperation with Arab states of the Persian Gulf and organisations uniting
them," the diplomat said.
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic union
involving the six Arab states of the Persian Gulf with many economic and
social objectives.
Created on May 25, 1981, the 630-million-acre (2,500,000 sq km)
Council comprises the Persian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The unified economic agreement
between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on
November 11, 1981 in Riyadh. These countries are often referred to as The
GCC States.
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.New START to be submitted for ratification in RF, US in May.

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Itar-Tass) - The new Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (START) will be submitted for ratification to the US and Russian
parliaments in the first half of May, chairman of the international
affairs committee of the Federation Council upper house of Russia's
parliament Mikhail Margelov told journalists on Tuesday on the results of
a meeting of the working group "Federation Council of Russia - US Senate."
The lawmakers focused the main attention at this meeting on issues
related to the ratification of the new treaty on the reduction of
strategic offensive arms.
"We have received signals from the White House and from the Kremlin
that the Treaty will be submitted to the national parliaments in the first
half of May," Margelov told Itar-Tass. "Taking into account the fact that
the work is already being carried out we hope that both countries'
parliamentarians will not create any artificial obstacles to the
discussion of this document and all formal procedures to be passed b y
it," he said.
According to the FC member, the main thing is that the Treaty should
be submitted for ratification with all the accompanying supplements and
addenda on time.
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