Plaque in memory of Leo Tolstoy unveiled at Luzern hotel.

LUZERN, Switzerland, June 21 (Itar-Tass) - A memorial plaque was
unveiled at the Palace Luzern Hotel on Saturday in memory of Russian
writer Leo Tolstoy. The delegates of the World Congress of Russian Press
attended the ceremony.

"It seems symbolic to me that a ceremony devoted to Tolstoy was held
at a time when a forum of Russian-language publications is working in
Luzern," General Ernst Mulleman, a member of the presidium of the
Switzerland-Russia Cooperation Council, told Itar-Tass.
"The Congress paid great attention to the role of Russian culture in
the history of Europe in which Tolstoy occupies a special place," Mr.
Mulleman went on to say.
He noted that the Russian writer had devoted one of his short novels
of the same name to Luzern. That was the first work in which Tolstoy
criticized social injustices. The writer made interesting observations in
the Swiss town, which he later shared with his readers.
Mr. Mulleman spoke highly of the Swiss-Russian relations.
"Switzerland has great expectations in connection with the forthcoming
visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. This will be the first visit
of a Russian head of state to Switzerland," he said.
Another vital ceremony was held in the Ambassador Hall the same day.
Russian-speaking authors and the leading Russian-language publications
received certificates of honour from the Russian government for their
great contribution to the preservation of the Russian language, the
development of a single Russian-language information space and the
strengthening of humanitarian ties with compatriots abroad.
Earlier on Saturday, the delegates of the World Congress of Russian
Press laid wreaths to the monument to Russian soldiers who died during
Alexander Suvorov's march across the Swiss Alps in the late 18th century.
During a military campaign in the Swiss Alps in 1799 the Russian army
led by military leader Alexander Suvorov crossed the Swiss Alps. They gave
a battle to the French troops that had occupied Switzerland.
"The memory of Suvorov's campaign is still kept in Switzerland. The
Swiss study its history in schools," Ferdinand Muhaim, the former mayor of
Andermatt, told Itar-Tass. He said that Suvorov's unprecedented march
across the Alps contributed to the emergence of a new state in Europe -
the Swiss confederation.
Taking part in the ceremony were Vitaly Ignatenko, the president of
the World Association of Russian Press, and Farit Mukhametshin, the head
of the Federal Agency for the affairs of the CIS, compatriots residing
abroad and international humanitarian cooperation.


.Moldova not to drift to crisis or confrontation after elections.

CHISINAU, June 21 (Itar-Tass) - Moldova's incumbent President Vladimir
Voronin said in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass on Saturday that
Moldova wouldn't drift into crisis and confrontation even the ruling
Communist Party wind early parliamentary elections in July.
"It's out duty to do everything we can. We know that the majority of
Moldova's citizens are on our side today," Voronin, the Communist Party
leader, said ahead of his working visit to Moscow which starts on Monday.
He said he wanted the forthcoming elections to meet all democratic
standards.
"The opposition has already disgraced itself with statements about
election fraud because it has failed to present any arguments to prove its
accusations launched against the authorities. We are facing a responsible
task of scoring two victories - one at the elections themselves and the
other at a state level. We need victory that will be clean and honest,"
Voronin emphasized in his interview.
Despite the fact that monitors from the OSCE, the European Union, the
CIS and other international organizations recognized the legitimacy of the
April elections, the opposition staged protests in the Moldovan capital.
They grew into street disturbances on April 7. The parliament's building
and the presidential residence were badly damaged. A vote recount didn't
reveal any election rigging but the opposition blocked the election of the
president in parliament and provoked early parliamentary elections in hope
of taking a revenge for its defeat.
"We understand what sort of plans are being worked out today. We are
being offered to turn every new day into a similarity of what happened on
April 7. Destabilization is what our opponents want. Their task is not to
defeat the Communist Party but Moldova," Voronin said, adding that the
whole country was seeing those risks.
"Unlike the leaders of opposition parties, our citizens not only have
a feeling of self-preservation but also normal civilian and patriotic
feelings. And it's exactly these feelings that won't allow the country to
drift into the morass of crisis and confrontation," the Moldovan president
emphasized.