FC speaker certain West to change attitude to SOssetia.

MOSCOW, August 11 (Itar-Tass) -- One year of independence of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia has confirmed the legality of actions the Russian
leadership took during the Georgian-South Ossetia war, Federation Council
Speaker Sergei Mironov told the media on Monday.

"South Ossetia today is restoring itself after a devastating war.
Military partnership with Russia makes it secure against another
aggression. The same is true of sovereign Abkhazia" he said.
Mironov is certain that in due time the world community will evaluate
Georgia's actions at their real worth.
"The Saakashvili regime, which launched a military adventure in the
South Caucasus, which had boasted US support, has gone utterly bankrupt,"
he said.
When he visited Tbilisi last July, US Vice-President Joseph Biden
officially acknowledged that Georgia had no military way of reintegration
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, that only peaceful and prospering Georgia
had chances of restoring its territorial integrity. This is a very
valuable and telling recognition, Mironov said.
"The leaders of the Western world are obviously in the process of
reconsidering their attitude to the August war and its consequences, as
well as Russia's role in the South Caucasus. It is to be hoped the new US
Administration will act on its words. As for Russia, the blood shed in
Tskhinval will never be forgotten, Mironov said. As follows from the
latest opinion polls, a majority in Georgian society does not wish the
country's early admission to NATO. Also, it is aware of how futile the
policy of militarization and international provocations is."


.Thai court's ruling may be most unpredictable - Viktor Bout.


BANGKOK, August 11 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian businessman Viktor Bout,
currently in custody in Thailand, whom the United States has charged with
illegal arms trade and whose extradition it demands, believes that the
Thai court's ruling in response to the US request may be the most
unexpected one.
"Thailand's justice system as it is, at this point it is impossible to
speculate what sort of decision the authorities may make in my case," he
told the media on Tuesday in anticipation of a verdict. "I believe that US
pressure will dominate here. Many judges and prosecutors had received
instruction in the United States and I believe that this factor will play
a role."
Bout recalled that also today the court would look into his lawsuit
against illegal arrest and presence in custody.
"Morally I am prepared for any outcome. If the US request is
sustained, we shall file an appeal and demand fair trial," he said.
Bout said that at this point he would not offer any comments regarding
the effectiveness of his defense.
"Don't ever count the chickens till they hatch," he said.
His wife, Alla, said the defense speculates the court would turn down
the US request for extradition, because the Americans had provided no
evidence and the lawyers managed to make judges certain their client is
innocent.


.Proton-M rocket with AsiaSat-5 sat to blast off from Baikonur Tue.


MOSCOW, May 17 (Itar-Tass) -- A Proton-M rocket carrying a commercial
payload - the Asia-Sat-5 satellite belonging to AsiaSat, a leading
satellite communication services operator in Asia - is to blast off from
the Baikonur space site in Kazakhstan late Tuesday evening.
The press secretary of the Khrunichev state-run space research and
production center, Alexander Bobrenev, has said "the launch of the
Proton-M rocket, equipped with the Briz-M booster, is scheduled for 23:47
Moscow time."
The federal space agency Roskosmos has said "the communication
satellite will reach its geostationary orbital slot of 100.5 degrees
eastern longitude nine hours fifteen minutes after liftoff."
The AsiaSat-5 satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral. Its expected
service life in orbit is 15 years and launch mass, 3,760 kilograms.
The satellite will provide advanced telecommunication services in Asia
and the Pacific. It will replace the AsiaSat-2 satellite. So far the
AsiaSat orbital group has had three satellites.
The Proton-M rocket and the Briz-M booster were both produced at the
Khrunichev Center. Proton is a three-stage liquid propellant rocket with a
liftoff mass of about 700 tonnes. On the space services market it is
promoted by International Launch Services (ILS), in which the Khrunichev
Center has a controlling stake.
"This is going to be this year's sixth launch of the Proton rocket and
the 347th one in its history. For the ILS it will be a fourth this year
and 53rd since the Proton rocket began to be used on the commercial basis
in April 1996."