Kremlin aide says new G8 meet acceptable at ministerial level.

L'AQUILA, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Kremlin economic aide Arkady
Dvorkovich said Italian proposal to organize a new G8 meeting in L'Aquila
this year would be acceptable for Russia if it is held at the ministerial
rather than at the top level.

"Most likely the talk at such a meeting may focus on overcoming
natural calamities. If it is held at the ministerial level, than it would
be fruitful. It is also the Russian initiative and we shall participate in
it," he told reporters on Thursday commenting on the proposal of Italian
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
"If the talk is about a higher level, such proposal needs further
consideration," Dvorkovich said.
"So far it is unclear who may participate in such a meeting," he said.


.Russia backs efforts to stop climate change.

L'AQUILA, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia backs international efforts to
stop climate change and the Mexican initiative at the G8 summit to create
a 10-billion US dollar Green Fund to compensate ecological projects across
the world based on the reduction of greenhouse gas emission.
"It was recognized as a fruitful initiative," head of the Russian
Federal Service for hydrometeorology and environment monitoring Alexander
Bedritsky told reporters on Thursday.
"It is important that every country makes feasible decisions for
itself. Developed nations can proceed with discharge reductions, while
developing economies like China, India, South Korea, Mexico plan to
progress along their programs, as for their emerging economies such
actions shall be accompanied by the transfer of corresponding technologies
with the necessary financing," he said.
"All countries, including Russia, agreed with the necessity of joint
efforts to overcome the current dynamic in rising global temperature in
the world. In order to restrict its growth by 2 degrees by 2050 it is
necessary to reduce hazardous emissions into the atmosphere globally by 50
percent, which has been reflected in the summit declaration," Bedritsky
said.
He recalled that Russian emissions into the atmosphere fell since
early '90s 34 percent both because of decreased GDP and targeted actions.
Bedritsky said temperatures in the world rose 0.72 degree in the past
century, however in Russia the growth was bigger and exceeded 1 degree in
the period.
Climate change triggered the longest discussion at the G8 summit,
according to Kremlin economic aide and Russian sherpa Arkady Dvorkovich.
He said the discussion focused on long-term and mid-term goals,
financing of emission decrease programs, cooperation in the sphere of
technologies, and adaptation to the consequences of the climate change
that already took place.


.G8 to conclude summit with African issues.

L'AQUILA, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- The G8 will devote its final summit
day on Friday to African problems and food security and the session will
involve 28 countries and eight international organizations and
institutions.
"The final event of the summit is a working meeting in an expanded
format with the participation of all the countries invited to the summit.
The agenda comprises such topics, as the influence of the crisis on
developing nations, including African countries, and food security
problem," Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko told Tass.
Experts believe G8 and African leaders will adopt a joint statement on
water resources and sanitation, while all meeting participants will adopt
a statement on food security.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to hold a bilateral meeting with
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on the sidelines of
the summit on Friday.
Medvedev will sum up the results of the G8 summit at a press
conference.


.OSCE Minsk group to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh in Baku.

BAKU, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group for
Nagorno-Karabakh will hold a regular round of political consultations with
Azerbaijani leadership on Friday.
The co-chairs arrived in Baku from Yerevan.
Diplomatic sources said international mediators will meet President
Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov. The main topic
concerns preparations for a meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia scheduled in Moscow in mid-July. It is timed to traditional
horse races for the Prize of the Russian President to be held on July
17-18.
Azerbaijan calls for a phased settlement of the Karabakh conflict. At
the first stage Armenian armed units should be withdrawn from areas
located outside the administrative border of Nagorno-Karabakh and refugees
and forced migrants should return home. Only after that Baku is ready to
consider granting Nagorno-Karabakh the autonomous status within Azerbaijan.
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