Greece PM concedes election defeat, resigns as head of his party.

ATHENS, October 5 (Itar-Tass) -- Greek Prime Minister Costas
Karamanlis conceded the defeat at the Sunday early parliamentary elections
and resigned as head of the right-centrist party New Democracy.

An extraordinary congress of the party will be held in a month.
According to Karamanlis, he will not nominate his candidacy at the
congress.

.Russia, Lithuania should live in friendship as good neighbors.

VILNIUS, October 5 (Itar-Tass) -- The neighbors like Lithuania and the
Russian Kaliningrad region should live in peace and friendship and benefit
from this neighborhood, Governor of the Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos
said in his speech opening the Days of the Kaliningrad region in the
Baltic republic here on Sunday.
"A good neighbor is often closer and more important than a distant
relative," the governor said. According to him, some forces are trying to
stress what divides Lithuania and Russia. "If a person wants prosperity
for himself, his relatives, the people, his country, successes in
creation, it is necessary to look for what unites us, not divides us and
to communicate on these grounds," Boos noted.
For his part, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas noted that
ties between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad region are intensive. He
recalled that last July the Kaliningrad port held a farewell ceremony for
the Lithuanian yacht Ambersail, which called at the port on the way to
Klaipeda. The yacht went on a round-the-globe voyage on occasion of the
millennium of Lithuania. In August Boos visited the Lithuanian part of the
Curonian Spit, where he discussed how Russia and Lithuania should protect
together this unique nature reserve. "All this points to substantial,
intensive and fruitful contacts between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad
region," Usackas said.
Masters of arts from the Russian region gave a concert at the Vilnius
Palace of Congresses and will stage another performance in Klaipeda on
Monday and in Taurage on Tuesday. The governor will give a lecture at the
Vilnius University on Monday, and the rector of the Russian Kant State
University will give a master class at the university. Pedagogues from
Kaliningrad will share their experience with their colleagues from schools
of the Lithuanian capital. The Russian Cultural Center will hold a round
table meeting of youth public organisations.
Apart from an intensive cultural program the governor of the
Kaliningrad region will meet with the Lithuanian foreign minister, the
ministers of economics and communications. On October 6, Boos will deliver
a speech at the international conference "EU and CIS states. Experience
and prospects of economic cooperation amid the crisis. Interests of
business."

.24th World Gas Conference to open in Argentina.

BUENOS-AIRES, October 5 (Itar-Tass) -- The 24th World Gas Conference
will open in the Argentinean capital on Monday. Experts and top managers
of the leading world oil and gas companies will participate i
BUENOS-AIRES, October 5 (Itar-Tass) -- The 24th World Gas Conference will
open in the Argentinean capital on Monday. Experts and top managers of the
leading world oil and gas companies will participate in the conference.
The Russian delegation includes Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Valery
Yazev, who chairs the Russian Gas Union.
The chief executive officers of the leading world companies in the gas
industry, including Russia's gas major Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, will
deliver 14 main reports at the conference. Miller will deliver a report at
a plenary meeting on the stability of the natural gas supply and demand on
October 6.
An exhibition will be held simultaneously with the gas forum. The
newest technologies and developments in the energy industry will be
presented at the exhibition.
The International Gas Union (IGU) holds the World Gas Conference once
in three years. The IGU brings together gas associations and companies
from 71 countries, which produce 95% of natural gas in the world. Russia
is an IGU member-country since 1957. The IGU was established in 1931 to
promote the development of the gas industry in the world.

.ISESCO director general plans to visit Russia in 2010.

RABAT, October 5 (Itar-Tass) -- Director General of the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) Dr. Abdulaziz
Othman Altwaijri is planning to visit Russia in 2010 to develop and
strengthen cooperation.
This visit will make part of the events targeted at further
enhancement of relations between the Islamic world and Russia, Altwaijri
said in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass. ISESCO rivets closer
attention to Russia, particularly to those Russian regions, where the
Islam is traditionally spread, he noted.
In this respect, Alwaijri called as successful the results of the
international scientific practical conference "Muslim Education in Russia
and Abroad" that was held in Kazan at the end of September. The ISESCO
chief participated in the conference. The ISESCO director general named as
an important result of the conference an agreement between ISESCO and
several Russian universities to strengthen cooperation with ISESCO and the
Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) and to spread
jointly the culture of dialogue and cooperation between civilizations.
During his meetings with Tatarstan's government officials, officials of
Russian public and humanitarian organisations Altwaijri assured them in
ISESCO's striving to forge cooperation with Russia.
ISESCO, an organisation acting within the framework of the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), was established at the
initiative of the late Moroccan King, Hassan II, in 1982. ISESCO's role in
the Muslim world is similar to that of UNESCO in the world. The ISESCO
headquarters is situated in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. ISESCO brings
together 50 countries. Russia was granted an observer status in ISESCO in
2007, less than two years after the country had been granted the similar
status in the OIC.
-0-baz