Ingush president says new terrorist acts possible

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MOSCOW, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- President of North Caucasus
Republic of Ingushetia Yanus-Bek Yevkurov, which has been hit by a series
of terrorist acts of late, including an assassination attempt on the
president himself, described the situation as difficult, but controlled.
However he did not rule out that terrorist acts would continue.
"The two latest terrorist acts do not add optimism, we do not assess
the situation as positive, it is difficult," he said in an interview with
Russia Today TV channel on Thursday.
"As long as underground warlords are alive and have not been
eliminated or arrested, it is premature to speak about calm. We expect new
attacks, but the situation is controlled and we shall improve it," he said.
Yevkurov rejected claims the tense situation was caused by clan wars
in the republic. "Clans have nothing to do with it. Clans have different
ways of struggle. If a clan settles accounts with another clan with the
use of explosives, such a clan is signing its own death warrant," he said.
"It is no clan or civil war, it is the fulfillment of the tasks set
before the criminal underground," Yevkurov said.
He believes the security in the republic would improve as the economy
develops. "We have 8-12 investment projects from a brick plant up to a
poultry farm and hothouse complex," the president said adding he is eyeing
Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian investments.
"It would be good for Kuwait to invest into construction business. We
are building our capital city and I would give a whole area for high-rise
residential construction and a government guarantee to buy out apartments
that are not sold", he said. Another project is the construction of
mosques. "We need assistance not only with money, but mostly with
participation in the project," Yevkurov said.
The president, who attended the fifth meeting of the Russia - Islamic
World strategic vision group in Kuwait this month, said Ingushetia would
like to host the next meeting.
"We shall cope with the task. It will considerably contribute to the
stabilization of the situation in the republic and the region in general,"
Yevkurov said.
He welcomed the offer of several Arab countries to provide financial
assistance to Russian Muslim republics, but said there should be
guarantees the money do not get into the hands of terrorists.
"It is important for Russia (to know) who wants to provide financial
assistance and for which aims so that there is no talk or claims that
militants are financed. There is nothing dangerous if the money is
provided, but control is necessary," Yevkurov said.

.Defense ministry to fine lagging facilities.

MOSCOW, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian defense ministry will
impose fines worth millions of rubles on defense enterprise in Nizhny
Novgorod for failure to timely fulfill its orders in 2009, according to
Deputy Defense Minister in charge of armaments Vladimir Popovkin.
"Several enterprises failed to design new types of armaments and
hardware for the armed forces by the fixed deadlines. Therefore, the
Russian defense ministry has to impose fines on them worth millions of
rubles," he said on Thursday commenting on the meeting chaired by Defense
Minister Anatoly Serdyukov that discussed the fulfillment of defense
orders in the industrial region of Nizhny Novgorod.
"Most of the defense orders were fulfilled by the enterprises on
time," Popovkin was quoted as saying by defense ministry spokeswoman Irina
Kovalchuk.
She also quoted Defense Minister Serdyukov as saying Nizhny Novgorod
defense orders in 2009 comprised 15.7 billion rubles. "That is a
considerable share of total defense orders," Serdyukov said.
Kovalchuk added tender schedule for 2010 defense orders has been
drafted and will be announced before the end of the year. A possibility of
advance payments to enterprises is being considered jointly with the
finance ministry, she said.

.Moscow Sheremetyevo international airport renames terminals.

MOSCOW, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Expanding major international
Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow will rename its terminals on Friday
replacing digits with letters.
The airport used to have two terminals (1 and 2), but has now expanded
to four and will get two more terminals in the coming years.
The Sheremetyevo-2 airport will from now on be marked as terminal F
and will be linked with newly operating terminal D and future terminal E
into a single complex by several galleries.
Sheremetyevo-1, which already has operating terminal C, will be
reconstructed into terminal B and will then get terminal A for business
aircraft. The three international and domestic flight terminals will have
an annual capacity of over 40 million passengers.
Sheremetyevo airport authorities said initially road signs will carry
both digit and letter designations, but will switch only to letters with
time.
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