RF, US presidents to discuss START, missile def coop in New York.

NEW YORK, September 23 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian and US presidents
will hold talks in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting of
the UN General Assembly.

The meeting of Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama will be held at 15:30,
local time (23:30, Moscow time) at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel where
the two leaders have been accommodated. It will be the third full-scale
talks between Medvedev and Obama, their first meeting was held in London
on April 1 and then the American leader visited Moscow in early July.
The main issue of the Wednesday talks of the two leaders is progress
of negotiations on the conclusion of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START-2). Medvedev stated on the eve of his visit to the United States
that Moscow and Washington "have rather high chances" to complete the
talks on the reduction of strategic offensive arms before the end of the
year. "Everything we do (I mean the Russian Federation) is dictated by our
understanding of our national interest, exactly as everything what the
Government of the United States does, is dictated by the national interest
of the USA," Medvedev told CNN in an interview.
"The proposal to hold this meeting was made by the American side,"
Medvedev's press secretary Natalya Timakova said. "The two leaders will
discuss the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It will be an important
'checkpoint' after the July summit in Moscow," she added. These talks will
"most likely promote the settlement of disputed issues (in the negotiating
process on the conclusion of a new treaty)," she believes.
Medvedev's aide Sergei Prikhodko said in the meantime that the "work
on the START is not at the final stage, but goes normally." "The experts
have the needed mandate, have the framework outlined in statements of the
presidents, so the work is on: the work on every comma and on every
letter," Prikhodko stressed noting that the subject of this work is
critically important not only for Russia and the United States, but also
for the international community in general.
Another important issue at the talks will be the anti-ballistic
missile (AMB) defence. "President Obama and I will have a fair opportunity
to exchange opinions on all aspects of strategic stability, including the
antiballistic missiles system, in the course of a meeting due in New York
September 23," Medvedev said last Thursday commenting on Obama's statement
regarding the adjustment of the US approach to the ABM problem. "I hope we'
ll be able to give instructions to the appropriate departments after it on
stepping up bilateral interaction that will embrace European and other
interested states at later stages." "We'll design efficacious measures of
counteraction to missile risks together and will ensure equal security for
all countries on the European continent," Medvedev said. He praised the US
President's responsible approach to the bilateral agreements, adding: "I'm
ready for further dialogue."
"I discussed this issue with the US president at our meetings in
London and Moscow. We agreed and fixed in our bilateral statements that
Russia and the United States will seek joint work of assessing the missile
proliferation risks in the world. The statement made by Washington shows
that good conditions are shaping up for such work," the Russian leader
stated then.
In his view, "Russia so far is developing quite positive relations
with the new US administration." Medvedev hopes that the "resetting,"
although this term is very conventional, will bring results. In the view
of the Russian president, "this should be spread not only to matters of
reduction of strategic offensive arms, but also to other issues." Among
them Medvedev named the European and Middle East issues, major
conventions, climate and the bilateral economic relations. "We have one
issue that is a common challenge that is the most difficult at the moment
- the economic crisis and here we are in permanent contact," the RF
president noted.
Medvedev stressed that it is comfortable for him to communicate with
the American colleague. "But results are expected from us, not just an
agreeable pastime, although it is also important," he said on the eve of
the visit. "I'm grateful to my colleague for his desire to get to the
bottom of many problems after all," he noted.
Medvedev agrees with his American colleague's words that "It's high
time for us to come to final agreements."
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.Belarus, RF interior ministers to discuss cooperation prospects.

MINSK, September 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Interior Minister Rashid
Nurgaliyev will discuss with his Belarusian colleague Anatoly Kuleshov
prospects for the further development of cooperation and interaction
between the two countries' police agencies. The ministers' working meeting
will be held in Brest on Wednesday.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry's information and public relations
department said that the sides "plan to consider some aspects of
conducting joint investigative and search actions for the prevention,
exposure and termination of crimes, information exchange and execution of
commissions on the provision of legal aid in criminal cases." The
ministers intend to discuss cooperation in the sphere of ensuring public
law and order and security in border territories, as well as future plans
of cooperation in various spheres of police activities.
Besides, the two countries' police chiefs will take part in special
tactical manoeuvres of the units of the guards department of the
Belarusian Interior Ministry and the state property protection department
of the Russian Interior Ministry. The main goal of the exercise is to
practice joint actions in ensuring security of motor vehicles on the
Moscow-Brest highway. According to the exercise scenario, an automobile
equipped with the GLONASS navigation monitoring system will be seized by
simulated criminals.
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