Clinton to discuss bilateral, multilateral agenda during Moscow visit

WASHINGTON, October 3 (Itar-Tass) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton will discuss the whole range of issues on the U.S.-Russian
bilateral and multilateral agenda, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly
told a briefing on Friday.
He confirmed that Clinton would spend three days in Moscow as part of
her trip to Britain, Ireland and Russia on October 9-15. She will stay in
Moscow from October 12 to October 15.
Kelly said one of the priority issues at the upcoming meetings in
Moscow would be progress in the drafting of an agreement that should
replace the START-1 Treaty.
Clinton and the Russian officials will also discuss disarmament and
non-proliferation, terrorism and drug trafficking, growing trade
relations, and other issues.
They may also touch upon the Iranian and North Korean nuclear
programmes.
While in Moscow, Clinton will attend the first session of a
Russia-U.S. Presidential Cooperation Commission, Andrei Nesterenko,
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said earlier.
"The list of commission members has been made up," Nesterenko said.
"In the course of Secretary Clinton's stay in Moscow, one of the major
items on the agenda (of bilateral discussions) will be the practical
activity of the commission, in which the Russian Foreign Minister and the
U.S. Secretary of State are coordinators."
"The working group for civic society has an important place in the
structure of the presidential commission," he said. "Quite a number of
knotty problems have accumulated of late that require close attention and,
most importantly, jointly devised solutions."
"The scope of these problems includes legal aspects of fighting with
terrorism and piracy, corruption, the freedom of the press, and the
protection of the rights of children,| Nesterenko said.
"The first meeting of the co-chairmen of this working group -
Vladislav Surkov and Michael McFaul (who will accompany Mrs. Clinton on
her visit to Moscow) -- will be held prior to the commission's session,"
he said.
"It's too early yet to discuss the modality of the group's work,"
Nesterenko said, adding that separate aspects of the commission's activity
will be discussed at the level of the two countries' governments.
Michael McFaul is one of the senior U.S. experts on Russia and
Eurasia. His thorough knowledge of the situation in this country has been
reflected in numerous books and newspaper publications.
An Associate Professor of Political Science at Stanford University,
McFaul has served as a consultant to a number of major companies and
government organisations.
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