Seventh round of consultations on Caucasus to open in Geneva.

GENEVA, September 17 (Itar-Tass) - The 7th round of discussions on
security and stability in the Trans-Caucasian region will open in Geneva
on Thursday.

The delegations of Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, the United States and
South Ossetia will take part in the consultations held under the aegis of
the United Nations, the European Union and the OSCE.
The consultations will be held in two groups - on security and
humanitarian issues.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said prior to the consultations that the
priorities of the Russian side continued to be focused on reliable
solution of specific security issues in the region.
"Russia's practical proposals in Geneva, especially on draft
agreements on the non-use of force between Georgia, Abkhazia and South
Ossetia, are aimed at achieving the aforesaid goal," the Russian Foreign
Ministry emphasized.
The Geneva consultations have been held since October 2008 following
agreements, which the presidents of Russia and France reached after the
Georgian aggression against South Ossetia, was repealed in August 2008.
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin is the head of the
Russian delegation; Boris Chochiyev, the presidential envoy for
post-conflict settlement, leads the South Ossetian delegation; Vyacheslav
Chirikba, an adviser to the Abkhazian president for international issues,
leads the Abkhazian delegation; the Georgian delegation will be headed by
the Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Bokeria.


. Russian Public Chamber to meet after summer recess.
17/9 Tass 5

MOSCOW, September 17 (Itar-Tass) - The Council of the Russian Public
Chamber will gather for its first meeting after a summer recess on
Thursday to discuss proposals for the forthcoming Annual Address to the
Federal Assembly by the Russian president.
The Council members will consider the possibility of creating the
chamber's expert council, specify plans of work following the Russian
president's decree on instituting the post of a commissioner for human
rights. They will also discuss the results of an international conference
"Modern State and Global Security" that was held in Yaroslavl on September
14.
The Public Chamber was set up by the Russian president's decree in
2005.


.Russian lawmakers to discuss parameters for 2010, 2011 & 2012
budgets. .

MOSCOW, September 17 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Federation Council will
on Thursday hold an extended meeting of specialized committees to discuss
the chief parameters of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 federal budgets. The
materials will be presentede by the Russian Finance Minister Alexei
Kudrin, the Minister of Health and Social Development Tatyana Golikova and
the heads of other deparments.
The Russian State Duma has recently considered a govdernment-proposed
anti-crisis program submitted by the First Vice-Premier Igor Shuvalov.
This docuemnt creates new legal grounds for attracting additional revenues
to the State Budget.


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