Lavrov to discuss legal protection of Russians abroad at State Duma.

MOSCOW, June 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
on Thursday will take part in a closed session of the international
committee of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house that will be
dedicated to Russia's foreign policy priorities.
However, the head of the committee, Konstantin Kosachev, told
journalists major attention will be focused on the protection of Russian
citizens who have problems in foreign countries. The subject was proposed
at a round table meeting at the State Duma, which discussed the
Russian-U.S. relations in the context of cases of Viktor Bout and
Konstantin Yaroshenko arrested and kept in custody in the United States.
The round table meeting resulted in a bill on measures against persons
violating the rights of Russian citizens abroad. The document envisages
sanctions against foreign citizens who infringe upon the rights of Russian
through their actions or inaction. Among such sanctions are visa
restrictions or banishment, arrest on financial accounts with Russian
banks and their foreign offices, and a ban on business and investment
activities, and deals in real estate.
Although, the lawmakers vowed not to make black lists of foreigners,
except special cases. "Such measures will not be used often, but in only
in flagrant cases, when the rights and freedoms of our compatriots abroad
are infringed upon. Sanctions are the ultimate possible way to demonstrate
civil solidarity and to attract international public attention," said
Dmitry Vyatkin, a lawmaker with the United Russia party and a co-author of
the bill. Vyatkin is also a member of the Russian delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
His fellow faction member and a Russian delegate to PACE Sergei Markov
stressed it was time to "protect honour and dignity of the Russian state
and its citizens." "We must bring it home to those foreign politicians who
think they can put Russians under restraint that they will be called to
responsibility. And there are such people in many countries, both in the
European Union, and the United States. Our decision is an adequate
response," he said.
According to Kosachev, who head the Russian delegation to the PACE,
the bill when passed into law will make much more probable lawful
consideration of cases against Russians. "We need more efficient
instruments, it was not us who invented such measures, they are rooted in
objective circumstances," he said.