RF justice minister regrets absence of mechanism to punish pirates.

MOSCOW, May 8 (Itar-Tass) -- The latest events in the Gulf of Aden
have shown once again that there is no effective international legal
mechanism of bringing those responsible for piracy to justice, Russian
Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov told Itar-Tass.
"As far as I understand, regrettably there is no special legal
mechanism and, moreover, the approaches to what such a mechanism must be
like are unclear," Konovalov said.
He recalled that at last year's meeting of G8 ministers of justice and
internal affairs and prosecutors-general in Rome Russia came out with the
initiative of creating an international tribunal for piracy.
"At first this initiative was discussed in a rather loyal context,
although the United States was strongly against that and argued that the
instruments effective now were quite enough - for instance, the use of the
national jurisdictions of individual countries neighboring Somalia in
Africa," Konovalov said. "Regrettably, experience has shown that this set
of tools sometimes does not work. Nevertheless, the question of creating
an international tribunal now looks rather problematic. At least no
specific steps towards bringing the positions (of different countries)
closer together are nowhere in sight."

.Explosion in Derbent was terrorist attack - investigation.

MOSCOW, May 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Friday's explosion in Derbent, Dagestan,
left one person dead, while the overall number of casualties is still to
be specified, Prosecutor-General's Office Investigation Committee
spokesman Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass.
"An explosive device went off in a garbage box on the platform of the
Derbent railway station in the Republic of Dagestan. The incident occurred
in the evening of May 7, at 20:55, when passengers were boarding a
suburban train. The blast left one person killed and others around,
including one police on duty, injured. The number of casualties is yet to
be established," Markin said.
The Southern Transport Investigation Department of the PGO
Prosecutor-General's Office has opened a criminal case over an act of
terrorism, murder and illegal circulation of firearms.
Detectives from the Southern Transport Investigation Department and
PGO Investigation Committee's for the Republic of Dagestan are examining
the crime scene.
"The necessary detective and policing measures are being taken to
establish all circumstances of the crime and the persons who committed
it," Markin said.
Investigators and forensic specialists from the Chief Investigation
Department for the North Caucasus Federal District and Southern Federal
District have been dispatched to Derbent to help their local colleagues
with the investigation.
A police source in Derbent told Itar-Tass the bomb that went off on
the railway platform injured two civilians and one police. All were taken
to hospital.

.Historical role of WW II liberator soldier grows with years-Bagapsh.

SUKHUM, May 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Victory Day remains what it has been all
the way - a holiday loved by all, a moment of sadness, and at the same
time a day of joy, Abkhazia's President Sergei Bagapsh said at a special
ceremony on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the victory over Nazi
Germany on Friday.
He said that "with every new year the historical importance of the
liberator soldiers' heroic accomplishment looks ever more magnificent."
"There is hardly a family not affected by that war, the most
sanguinary one in the history of humanity. That's our history," Bagapsh
said.
He recalled that more than 55,000 young men and women from Abkhazia
were in the army during World War II and 17,500 of them died in battles.
"Tiny Abkhazia is the birthplace of 22 holders of the Hero of the
Soviet Union title and three holders of the Order of Glory. Over 30,000
Abkhazians were decorated with combat awards. Those decorations are a an
expression of the gratitude of the state and the people for their staunch
resistance to the enemy and for the heroic defense of our common
Motherland," Bagapsh said.
The Abkhazian president thanked the war veterans "for the peace life,
for the children and grandchildren, and for their free today and tomorrow"
and wished them health and long and happy lives.
"May there be accord and prosperity in each home, because the people's
eternal striving for peace, freedom and a better life is invincible,"
Bagapsh said.
The ceremony was attended by World War II veterans, Abkhazian
officials, Russian diplomats from the embassy in the Republic of Abkhazia,
the board guards department of the Russian federal security service FSB,
military and public figures.

-0-str