New START not to constrain US missile defence programmes -- Tauscher.

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Itar-Tass) --The new START Treaty, signed by
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Prague on April 8, won't constrain U.S. missile defence programmes,
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen
Tauscher said.
"The new START Treaty does not constrain U.S. missile defense
programs. The United States will continue to improve our missile defenses,
as needed, to defend ourselves, our deployed forces, and our allies and
partners," Tauscher said at Atlantic Council Panel Discussion in
Washington on Wednesday.
She noted that Russia's unilateral statement on a possible secession
from the treaty if the U.S. missile defence threatens its security "is not
an integral part of the New START Treaty. It's not legally-binding. It won'
t constrain U.S. missile defence programmes."
Tauscher said the United States would deploy "the most effective
missile defences possible, and the New START Treaty does not impose any
additional cost or inconvenience to those efforts".

.OANA summit to open in Seoul.

SEOUL, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- A four-day summit of the Organisation
of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) will begin in Seoul on Thursday,
April 22.
About 90 representatives from 35 countries and a large number of
observers will attend the forum organised this year jointly by OANA and
South Korea's Yonhap news agency that will celebrate its 30th anniversary
this year.
ITAR-TASS Director-General Vitaly Ignatenko will speak of new
tendencies in the development of Russian mass media during the digital
era, the strengthening of cooperation with OANA partners and the
resolution of problems facing the global information community.
Created by UNESCO in December 1961, OANA has made an important
contribution to the development of cooperation between Asia-Pacific news
agencies over the past decades.
OANA is an important factor of the global information system that
facilitates interaction between news agencies in addressing contemporary
challenges and threats and resolving global and professional problems.
OANA, which maintains close ties with other world news agencies, has
played a significant role in the creation of the World Congress of News
Agencies initiated by ITAR-TASS, and intends to continue to participate in
preparing and holding such summits in the future.

.Russian, Australian FMs to discuss economic, political cooperation.

MOSCOW, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith will meet on
Thursday, April 22, to discuss economic cooperation and interaction at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the ASEAN Regional Forum
on security in the Asia Pacific region, and other regional and
international forums.
"Priority attention at the meeting will be given to important issues
of the bilateral agenda, including deepening of the bilateral economic
ties, improvement of the contractual legal framework, the two countries'
interaction in the Antarctic sphere," Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei
Nesterenko said.
Russia and Australia have reached "certain success in the
trade-economic interaction sphere," he said. "In particular, the bilateral
cooperation in such spheres as the mining industry, agriculture and energy
industry has received further development."
"Positive dynamics in the investment cooperation is also observed:
According to the results of 2009, the trade turnover between Russia and
Australia had reached 643.1 million U.S. dollars," the diplomat said.

.Putin to chair meeting on demographic policy.

MOSCOW, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will
chair a meeting on demographic policy on Thursday, April 22.
The presidium of the presidential Council on the Implementation of
Priority National Demographic Projects will meet to discuss the main
guidelines and measures for the implementation of Russia's Demographic
Policy Concept in 2011-2015 and up to 2025, the government press service
said.
The first stage of the implementation of the Demographic Policy
Concept will end in 2010.
Under the concept, approved by a presidential decree of October 9,
2007, a number of measures have been taken to increase the birth rate and
reduce mortality. Child support allowances were raised, additional support
was provided to women who have given birth to a second and subsequent
children. Efforts were taken to make preschool education more available,
improve living conditions for young families with children, develop the
healthcare system, and make Russian regions more attractive for migrants.

.CIS border guard chiefs to discuss fight against drug/arms
trafficking.

DUSHANBE, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- The chiefs of the CIS border guard
services will gather in Dushanbe on Thursday, April 22, to discuss joint
efforts to fight drug and arms trafficking.
The 63rd meeting will be chaired by the head of the coordination
service of Council of CIS Commanders, Colonel-General Alexander Manilov.
-0-zak/


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