Bush to arrive in Beijing Wed to attend Olympics opening

BEIJING, August 6 (Itar-Tass) - US President George W. Bush arrives
here on Wednesday to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics-2008.

Bush is also scheduled to hold talks with President Hu Jintao of the
People's Republic of China (PRC) and meet with Vice-President Xi Jinqing,
as well as Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council. Neither is it ruled
out that while in Beijing Bush will hold bilateral meetings with the
leaders of other countries.
At the same time White House officials repeatedly emphasized that
President Bush heads to Beijing in order to watch Olympic competitions,
and not to accomplish some political tasks.
Apart from attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Bush
expressed a desire to watch a USA-PRC basketball match. He is also
planning to attend a mass in one of Beijing churches and take part in a
ceremony to open a new diplomatic compound of the USA. It remains unclear
so far whether he will take bicycle rides as he did previously during his
stay in the Chinese capital.
The present visit will be a fourth one for Bush during his presidency.
Previously, none of American leaders visited the PRC more than once during
their terms of office.

.Final phase of Olympic torch relay race begins in Beijing.

BEIJING, August 6 (Itar-Tass) - The final phase of the Olympic torch
relay race of the Games-2008 has begun here on Wednesday. It was ushered
in by the first Chinese taikonaut (cosmonaut) Yang Liwei.
Following a ceremony at the Wumen Gate of the Forbidden City (former
imperial palace), the torch set out on a three-day tour of the cultural
and historical landmarks of the Chinese capital.
On August 8, the Olympic torch is to be brought to the Bird's Nest
Stadium, where a ceremony marking the opening of the Olympic Games will be
held.

.Levitin, Sosnovsky to discuss formation of united transp system.

MINSK, August 6 (Itar-Tass) - Topical problems concerning the
establishment of a united transport system of the Union State of Belarus
and Russia are to be discussed by the two countries' transport ministers.
Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin arrives here on Wednesday to
discuss these matters.
Levitin is to meet with his Belarussian counterpart Vladimir Sosnovsky
and familiarise himself with the roadside service facilities on the
Minsk-Brest highway.
On Thursday, August 7, while in Brest, Levitin is to attend the 10th
session of the coordinating commission for the formation and ensurance of
the functioning of a united transportation system of the Union State.
An official in the Belarus Ministry of Transport and Communications
has told Itar-Tass that one of the main subjects of discussion at the
session will be a 2008-2010 plan for activities aimed at forming a united
transport system of the Union State.
A draft agenda is also expected to provide for an item concerning the
start of work on a concept of the establishment of a common market of
transport services. Those present will also touch upon issues concerning
interaction in the field of transportation by road, discuss the use of a
common fleet of railway cars, and review the implementation of transport
agreements on railway transport pricing policy, and technical cooperation
between railwaymen.
It is also expected that while in Brest the two transport ministers
will visit the Warsaw Bridge and Kozlovichi automobile border crossing
stations on the outer perimeter of the Union State. On August 8, Igor
Levitin and Vladimir Sosnovsky are to visit the Redki-Krasnoye automobile
border-crossing station on the Belarus -Russian border.