Experts of Bulgaria-RF commission to discuss energy coop.

SOFIA, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - Cooperation in the sphere of energy
and other important issues of bilateral relations will be discussed during
the next two days by experts of the Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental
commission for economic and scientific-technical cooperation.

The
thirteenth meeting of the commission will be held in the Bulgarian capital
with the participation of Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and
Bulgarian Minister of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov.
On the eve of the Bulgarian-Russian forum President of Bulgaria Georgi
Parvanov stressed that "the fate of the joint energy projects will be one
of the central issues."
"The situation on the world energy market is changing very
dynamically, therefore, in the crisis conditions these projects are very
important not only for Bulgaria, but also for ensuring the region's energy
security. The government's reasonable action is needed at talks with
Russia on the parameters of energy projects. I am ready to assist their
implementation," Parvanov told journalists.
However, judging by statements of Bulgarian ministers published by
local media, another meeting of the intergovernmental commission will
hardly be able to help bring closer the points of mutual interest.
Practically all major energy projects with the participation of Russia
have been "frozen." A 1.5-year timeout has also been taken in the project
of the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline for
conducting a complex ecological expert examination. The positions of the
"adviser" and strategic investor under the project for the construction of
the Belene nuclear power plant also remain vacant. Complex negotiations
are yet ahead on the new technical parameters of the South Stream gas
pipeline the throughput capacity of which is planned to be doubled.
On Thursday, Bulgarian and Russian experts will hold closed-door
meetings within working groups. The main results of the commission's work
will be drawn at a plenary session on Friday, December 11.
The Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline will be used to transport Russian
and Caspian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek
Aegean port of Alexandroupolis. It would be an alternative route for
Russian oil for bypassing the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.
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.US, RF generally coordinate doc to replace START-1 -Dept of State.

WASHINGTON, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - The United States and Russia
have coordinated the main part of the text of a new agreement that is to
replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1), spokesman for the
US Department of State Ian Kelly said on Wednesday.
He noted that a considerable part of the text has been coordinated
already, but the sides still have certain final questions that are to be
settled. However, he did not specify any timeframe. He said he could not
forecast when this will happen. However, it is important for the parties
not to agree by a certain date, but to work out a good agreement.
The US State Department spokesman noted that the US negotiators have
been very seriously working towards reaching an agreement and they still
have the aim to complete the work by the end of this year. The US side's
priority is still getting a good agreement that would correspond to the
American national interests. The US wants to have more predictability and
stability in the relations with the RF in the nuclear sphere, it also
counts on the clauses in the document that would guarantee an efficient
verification process, Kelly said.
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.Medvedev, Lukashenko to meet in Moscow.

MOSCOW, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - The Supreme Council of the Union
State members of which are the heads of state and government, as well as
chairmen of houses of parliament of Russia and Belarus will hold a regular
meeting in Moscow on Thursday.
Itar-Tass was told at the Kremlin that the meeting is timed to
coincide with a remarkable date in the Russian-Belarusian relations - the
10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Union State creation
(marked Dec 8). On this occasion it is planned to signed at the top level
the Declaration that will reflect the main results of the development of
integration ties over the past period and also future tasks in this sphere.
It is also planned within the meeting framework to sign a number of
bilateral documents, including the intergovernmental agreement on the
establishment of culture-information centres, an agreement on the
development of the bilateral military-technical cooperation.
The meeting agenda in includes key issues of the bilateral integration
cooperation, first of all in the trade-economic and financial spheres, in
the fuel and energy sphere, in the sphere of foreign political interaction
and in the social sphere.
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