Moscow remembering victims of Oct 2002 theater hostage taking.

MOSCOW, October 26 (Itar-Tass) - Tuesday, October 26 is an annual day
of remembrance of the victims of a major terrorist act, in which a group
of international terrorists took hostage almost a thousand people inside a
Moscow theater and kept them virtually locked in their chairs for more
than 60 hours.
A group of camouflaged men and women appeared on the stage of the
Dubrovka theatrical center in downtown Moscow shortly after the beginning
of the second act of the highly popular musical Nord-Ost. They made
several shots in the air from submachine-guns, shouting: "Don't you
understand? That's for real!"
The tragic day was Wednesday, October 23, 2002. The hostage-takers
warned that the building had been heavily mined and that they would blow
it up at the first signs of an attempt to free the hostages through the
use of force.
The drama lasted through to the early morning of Saturday, October 26,
when the Russian crack troops and riot police stormed the building after a
knotty preparatory operation, which involved, among other things, making a
hole in the wall of the ventilation shaft and pumping a potent gaseous
anesthetic agent, phentanyl, into the theater's ventilation system.
The spectators, actors and technical personnel servicing the Nord-Ost
show were freed but 130 people lost their lives.
A commemorative action is to be held at 10:00 hours Wednesday on a
square opposite the building of the Dubrovka theatrical center, officials
at Moscow City's committee for public relations told Itar-Tass.
After the action, a minute's silence will be called. The attendees
will lay flowers at a memorial plaque carrying the names of the dead and a
church sermon will be chanted.

.Russian, Montenegrin ministers to discuss situations in Balkans.

MOSCOW, October 26 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov is expected to receive his Montenegrin counterpart Milan Rocen at
the Foreign Ministry's house for official receptions Wednesday.
Rocen is visiting Moscow to attend the fourth session of the
Russian-Montenegrin intergovernmental commission for cooperation in trade,
economy, science, and technologies.
"The heads of both ministries will discuss the state of and prospects
for the development of bilateral ties, which traditionally have friendly
character," Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.
"They will be also map out a schedule of joint activities in the
light of the upcoming 300th anniversary since the establishment of
political relations between the countries, due in 2011," he indicated.
"The side plan signing a joint plan for consultations between the two
ministries for the years 2011 and 2012," Nesterenko said adding that
Lavrov and Rocen are expected to hold an extensive review of an
international agenda, which includes the situations in the Balkans.
"These talks will have significance for the promotion of bilateral
cooperation in general," Montenegrin ambassador in Moscow, Slobodan
Backovic said.
He believes that a fair political springboard will influence the
process of consolidation of trade and economic ties between the two
countries.
"It's an open secret that Russia is one of the biggest investoprs in
Montenegro's economy," Backovic said.
"The two sides hold very intensive consultations on exchanges in the
field of science and culture - for instance, they are working on a project
that aims to improve the quality of knowledge of the Russian language in
Balkan countries," he said.
To promote cooperative relations in this area, the two countries'
officials and experts are discussing intetnensively the issue of writing
up-to-date studybooks for the students of elementary schools and colleges.
Backovic also mentioned the problem of travel visas between Russia and
the European Union, saying that Montenegro, which is an associated member
of the EU, hopes Moscow and Brussels will round up talks on the issue
before it becomes a full member.
"This will make unnecessary any changes in a special
Russian-Montenegrin agreement on privileged conditions for the their
citizens' trips to either country," he said.

.Council of Europe to consider Russia's system of appointing governors.

STRASBOURG, October 26 (Itar-Tass) - Development of local democracy in
Russia and Estonia and a report on the May municipal elections in Georgia
are at the top of the list of topics included in the agenda of the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the
19th session of which begins here Wednesday.
According to a report placed on the official website of the Congress,
the session that will last from October 26 to October 28, 2010 will adopt
political priorities for the years 2011 and 2012 and changes to its
structures and "working methods".
New national delegations will elect the Congress President, its Bureau
and the Presidents of both its chambers.
The session will also mark the 25th Anniversary of the European
Charter of Local Self-Government
The Russian delegation is led by the deputy speaker of the upper house
of parliament, Svetlana Orlova, who pointed out the forthcoming broad
discussions of the system of appointing regional governors in Russia as
she spoke to Itar-Tass.
"We expect expansive discussions on the issue," she said. "The
participants in the session will likely vote for the recommendations to
the Russian federal authorities to revert to a system where the regional
leaders are elected."
-0-kle


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