Lavrov to have several last bilateral meetings at UN GA session.

THE UNITED NATIONS, September 28 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold several last bilateral meetings at the
64th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

During the previous ministerial week in the UN the Russian foreign
minister had the talks with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
confirmed Russia's position on the Middle East settlement at a meeting of
the Quartet of international mediators (Russia, the United States, the EU
and the UN) and at a meeting with Secretary General of the League of Arab
States Amr Moussa. He also shared his vision on the development of
Russian-U.S. relations, primarily in economy, at an annual session of the
U.S.-Russia Business Council.
High on the agenda of Lavrov's talks in the UN was the situation
around the Iranian nuclear program. On the first day on the UN ministerial
week the Sextet (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and
Germany) met to synchronize positions before forthcoming consultations
with Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Said
Jalili in Geneva on October 1. Russia hopes that this meeting will
contribute to the resumption of the negotiations with Tehran. The
negotiations with Iran were suspended after Iran rejected the proposals to
exchange the economic and technological assistance from the Sextet nations
with accompanying security guarantees and the prospects for normalizing
the political relations to the abandonment of the country's uranium
enrichment program, which is considered the key stage in the creation of
nuclear weapons.
On September 10, Iran passed to representatives of the Sextet nations
a package of initiatives, which, according to Western countries, did not
contain the direct answers to the questions put to Iran regarding its
nuclear program and was oriented at global issues rather than the nuclear
problem.
Meanwhile, the tensions around Iran have mounted sharply on September
25, after the country had revealed the information about its previously
unknown uranium enrichment site at Qom, apart from the already known
uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. This fact prompted an immediate harsh
reaction of Western countries, while the Russian foreign minister urged to
wait for the Geneva negotiations to receive "concrete facts."
Meanwhile, Lavrov will discuss the Iranian nuclear program at a
meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday,
according to Itar-Tass sources. They may also discuss the new Iranian
nuclear site.
On Monday, Lavrov will also discuss the prospects of developing
bilateral relations with the foreign ministers of Iraq, Yemen, Morocco,
Nigeria and Somalia.

.RZD council to discuss crisis impact on Trans-Siberian shipments.

MUNICH, September 28 (Itar-Tass) -- The Coordinating Council on
Trans-Siberian Railway Shipments of the Russian Railways Company (RZD)
will open its meeting here on Monday to focus on the impact of the world
financial and economic crisis on cargo shipments.
"This major item on the agenda is not accidental, as quite difficult
economic conditions complicate the implementation of several international
projects and cause a falling cargo traffic," a representative of the
Russian Railways delegation told Itar-Tass.
According to him, close cooperation between all shipping entities -
ports, railways, forwarding companies is needed to overcome the crisis and
its aftermath. "Only joint actions will help to provide lucrative terms
for freight owners to make cargo shipments along the Trans-Siberian
Railway between the countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe," the
source said. The Russian delegation believes that the RZD Council will be
one of the major international floors for such cooperation.
Another important item on the agenda will be a rise in cargo shipments
along the Trans-Siberian Railway by making cargo shipments more
competitive. Specifically, the RZD Council will discuss "the drafting of a
special law on transit shipments and of several documents promoting a free
cargo transit along the Trans-Siberian Railway," the RZD source said.
The RZD Council will also discuss the formation of highly competitive
tariffs, an effective management system of multi-module shipments,
investments in infrastructure development, the harmonisation of the legal
regulation and the consolidation of business ties with freight owners.
The RZD source noted the fact that representatives of Russian specific
agencies, as well as the top managers of the railways from CIS and
European countries are invited to participate in the RZD Council's meeting.
The RZD Coordinating Council on Trans-Siberian Railway Shipments will
meet for two days.