Basic Political Developments s15

Russia 110808

Basic Political Developments

· FM due in Moscow by Aug. 15 - Foreign Minister, Ali-Akbar Salehi, said on Sunday that he is due to be in Moscow within eight days.

o Iran MP: Nuclear plant's launch delayed again - The reformist Aftab daily on Monday quotes Asgar Jalalian, a member of the parliament's special committee on the plant, as saying that Iran has already paid at least twice the expected costs for the 1,000 megawatt plant. Russia's Rosatom is building the facility.

o Iran FM upbeat over nuclear plant situation - "Everything goes well in the plant. Steam was once injected to turbines of the nuclear site and required tests were conducted. We hope the plant will join the national grid soon," he told reporters on Sunday.

· Vigilant Eagle drills start on Russia's Far East - The joint exercise of air defense forces of Russia, the US and Canada for preventing air terrorism codenamed Vigilant Eagle 2011 has started in Russia’s Far East.

· Russia Calls on Israel to Halt Settlements

o Moscow condemns new Israeli settlement plans - "We have repeatedly stated Russia's position condemning Israel's building activities on the occupied Arab territories," the ministry said in a statement released on Saturday. "Moscow considers such activities as a striving to create new realities in the region and predetermine the outcome of the Palestinian-Israeli talks on the final status."

· China willing to enhance Russia military ties - Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, stressed here on Sunday that China is willing to further promote military cooperation with neighboring Russia.

· Kalmyk Buddhists ask Russian Foreign Ministry to issue entry visa to Dalai Lama

· Moscow demands fair trial for Ukraine’s ex-PM Tymoshenko - . “The gas deals of 2009 were signed in strict agreement with the laws of the two states, and their signing was sanctioned by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry pointed out.

o Russia Backs Old Enemy in Ukraine - By Alexander Bratersky

· Ukraine mulls legal case to terminate Russian gas contract - Ukraine's government is studying the option of terminating its gas supply contract with Russia through the courts Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Friday.

· South Korea - Foreign Minister to Make an Official Visit to Russia - . Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan will make his first official visit to Russia August 6-9 since taking office for a meeting with his Russian counterpart on August 8.

· Russian and Armenian presidents to meet in Astana - Leaders of the countries-members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will hold an informal summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 12-13, 2011.

o Assistance to several states including Armenia to be discussed at CSTO summit

o Working meeting with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha - Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation Nikolai Bordyuzha briefed the President on preparations for an upcoming informal CSTO summit.

· Islamic extremism on rise in C. Asia, region likely to be invaded by Afghan terrorists - expert (updated)

· Top G20 officials discuss economic crisis

· G-7 finance ministers pledged to keep world's markets stable - Top finance officials from the Group of Seven (G-7) of world's most industrialized countries pledged on Monday to secure stability on international markets in the wake of debt problems in the United States and Europe, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

· Medvedev Seeks Approval for Abkhaz, Ossetia Military Bases

o Russia to establish military bases in South Ossetia, Abkhazia

o Russian President submits Agreement to Duma on Russian military base in Abkhazia

o North Ossetia praises South Ossetia’s restoration efforts - Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and North Ossetian leader Teimuraz Mamsurov met on Monday to discuss neighboring South Ossetia’s economic development nearly three years after it declared independence.

o Medvedev reignites war of words over blame for Georgia conflict

· Russia asks international court to investigate 2008 Georgian attack on South Ossetia
· No evidence of RF troops unlawful actions in Georgia / ·

o Attack on S Ossetia was planned by Georgia top leadership

o Georgia’s leadership planned August 2008 attack on South Ossetia - investigators

o Tbilisi refuses to cooperate with Moscow on probe into Russian-Georgian war

o The 2008 S.Ossetia War: three years after - Three years have passed since the five-day2008 South Ossetia Warwhen Russia repelled Georgia’s aggression against the country. Today experts are telling the VoR about S.Ossetia now and then.

o “No borders worth a human life” – Ossetians remember their dead

o South Ossetia mourns victims of Georgian aggression in 2008

o Moscow commemorates victims of August 2008

o Russia re-launches Moscow-Kutaisi direct flights

o Georgia slams Medvedev's statements

· Russian URALCHEM and Latvian Riga Commercial Port to Build a New Terminal on the Baltic Sea

· The Russian Church doubts Kosovo police is capable to protect Orthodox shrines

· Skolkovo to make road show for projects in U.S. - According to RBC Daily newspaper, representatives of several companies that have their offices at Skolkovo will travel to Silicon Valley in September in order to find co-investors for their projects. The companies' presentations will be arranged in tandem with such world-known funds as Sequoia Capital and Greycroft Partners.

· Court to consider acquittal of human rights activist for slander on Kadyrov

· Firefighters put out 7 forest fires in Russia's Far East

· Kamchatka’s Shivelush volcano emits ash to altitude of 7 km

· Russian sailing ship Pallada leaves Canada for U.S. Seattle

· Russia developing space rover to study Sun from close distance

· Chechen refugees terrorized by Russian agents in Western Europe - Georgia's TVchannel PIK, whichhas full-scale broadcasting in Russian from Tbilisi (Georgia),reported from Helsinki on the situation with the Chechen refugees in Finland

· Protests against high fuel prices throughout Russia - Protests against high fuel prices were held in 18 Russian cities on Thursday, including at Moscow's Bolotnaya Square and Leningradskoye Shosse. The protests were organized by The Interregional Trade Union of Drivers. The organizers demanded that the government cut prices or they will disrupt the upcoming elections.

· RIA Russian Press at a Glance, Monday, August 8, 2011

· Interfax Moscow press review for August 8, 2011

· Sea Mining Decision Heralds New Era - AUN decision allowing Russia toprospect forprecious metals onthe Atlantic seabed opens new frontiers forthe country's mineral extraction businesses.

· Russia: Moscow to explore some of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world - The United Nations grants Russia the right to prospect parts of the Atlantic seabed. For the Kremlin, it is a major geopolitical coup.

· Russia's polluted Arctic lands to undergo major clean-up

· Finding a key to the Arctic - Russia strives to become a leader in the exploration of the Arctic. By Ivan Yegorov

· Northern Sea Route to help Arctic development - The development of the Northern Sea Route and transport infrastructure in Russia’s Arctic zone is on the agenda of a meeting in Naryan-Mar, the administrative center of Nenets Autonomous District, north of the Arctic Circle. Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev is attending.

· Arctic Oil Geopolitics – by Bill Sweet

· Newsweek: Fascist Russia? - The Kremlin plays a dangerous game by pandering to far-right hate groups.

· Yet Another LiveJournal Outage Causes Concern for Russian Blogging Community

· Russia’s Offshore Rule of Law - A great piece by Alan Riley from yesterday’s International Herald Tribune has gone online today. Riley writes on the key role played by the European Court of Human Rights and the English High Court in Russia’s justice system, noting that, as of the end of last year, the former had over 40,000 Russian applications, making up just under 30% of the total applications pending.

· Washington Post: How U.S. sanctions can promote human rights in Russia - By Editorial, Monday, August8, 1:19AM

· Russia Could Become U.S. Enemy No. 1 - By Alexei Bayer

National Economic Trends

· Russia to borrow 5 trln rbls in 2012-2014 from modernized market

· Russia to Boost Borrowings, Triple Debt by 2014, Vedomosti Says

· Russia Not To Alter U.S. Dollar Investments: Reports

· Russian markets drop on U.S. downgrade

· Equity benchmarks kick off to the downside

· Moscow Mimics Global Market Reaction

· Russia RTS-Index Futures Rise on Italian Financial Reform Plan

· Zero monthly CPI growth recorded in July for the first time ever

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

· Gazprom, Sberbank, Polyus Gold May Move: Russian Equity Preview

· Polymetal Rises the Most in Two Weeks as Gold and Silver Surge

· Timchenko Buys Russian Infrastructure Builder, Kommersant Says

o Stroytransgaz to buy civil engineering group ARKS

· Putin's Wealthy Ally behind Sole Bidder for Bulgartabac – Report

· Russian Machines discussing alliance with MAZ

· Russian Metallurgy slightly reduced the production of aluminum

· Rusal to get Taishet project financing from VEB

· Russia's Aviastar Aircraft Builder To Expand Production

· Russia's MDM Bank seeks Asian, Arab investors-paper

· RenCap’s e-trading team defects to Russian broker

· Somani Group in coal JV with Russian firm - The JV, Mechel Somani Carbon, will source coal from Mechel's mines in Russia and other countries and process it in India to give just-in-time delivery as per the requirement, Somani Group's President Atul Verma said.

· Russian Railways to Sell Freight One

· Russia-based Polyus Gold guarantees USD 1.5bn liabilities for Polyus Gold International - companies might be securing a buyout offer to 11% minorities

· UTair airline 2010 profit soars 360 pct to $13 mln

o UTair borrows heavily to upgrade fleet

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

· Russian Oils - Russian product crisis continues

· Line pipe of East Siberia-Pacific oil mains to be built by early September: A linear section of the East Siberia-Pacific oil pipeline will be built by early September, a spokesman for Russia’s Transneft oil major said on Monday.

· Japan Looks at Magadan - Marubeni is intalks with Rosneft onparticipating inoil andgas projects inthe Sea ofOkhotsk tosupply Asian markets, thestatement said, citing aMarubeni official.

· Alekperov, Bulgarian Leader Talk

· Nord Stream's Gulf of Finland Segment Almost Complete - Work on the part of the Nord Stream gas pipeline that most directly affects the Estonian coastline is about 10 days from completion.

Gazprom

· Britain to Welcome Russia’s Gazprom Investment, Times Reports - Britain will welcome interest in the country’s energy industry by Russian natural gas producer OAO Gazprom, the Sunday Times reported, citing Energy Minister Charles Hendry

· Gazprom prepares to drill for natural gas offshore eastern Russia

· Indications on negotiation positions between E.On and Gazprom - Dow Jones has reported on some of the offers and counter-offers apparently made in the recently failed negotiations between Gazprom and Germany's E.On regarding the price of Russian gas on long-term contracts.

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Basic Political Developments

FM due in Moscow by Aug. 15

http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30510658

Tehran, Aug 7, IRNA – Foreign Minister, Ali-Akbar Salehi, said on Sunday that he is due to be in Moscow within eight days.

After the weekly cabinet meeting, he congratulated the reporters on the `Journalist Day', the 7th of August, saying, 'A reporter should prioritize honesty, fairness, friendship, cooperation, solidarity and national interests to political interests.'
Salehi will be in Moscow on an invitation by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in order to hold talks with Russian officials on issues of mutual interest.
Elsewherer in his remarks, Salehi thanked Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei for aid donation to the draught-stricken Somalian people, saying government has to this end approved extending a cash to the ceiling of USD35 million to the Somalians.
1378**1420

Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30510658

Associated Press

Iran MP: Nuclear plant's launch delayed again

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/08/general-ml-iran-nuclear_8607390.html

Associated Press, 08.08.11, 03:54 AM EDT

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian lawmaker says the country's first nuclear power plant in southern port of Bushehr faces more delays because of money demands from Russia.

The reformist Aftab daily on Monday quotes Asgar Jalalian, a member of the parliament's special committee on the plant, as saying that Iran has already paid at least twice the expected costs for the 1,000 megawatt plant. Russia's Rosatom is building the facility.

Jalialian says the committee doubts the plant will come on line by August, as promised.

Moscow and Tehran signed a US$1 billion contract to start building Bushehr in 1995. Its 1999 completion date has been repeatedly pushed back.

The United States and others believe Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

Iran FM upbeat over nuclear plant situation

http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1915430.html

[08.08.2011 13:13]

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed satisfaction over conditions of Bushehr nuclear power plant, ISNA reported.

"Everything goes well in the plant. Steam was once injected to turbines of the nuclear site and required tests were conducted. We hope the plant will join the national grid soon," he told reporters on Sunday.

The Bushehr power plant first was launched in August 2010 as engineers loaded 163 fuel rods into the reactor under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

On January 28, then Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Ali Akbar Salehi announced that the power plant will be connected to the national grid by February 20. He also said that the plant would be able to work at full capacity by mid-April. But in February, Iran unloaded fuel from the reactor due to safety concerns.
In March, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in a telephone conversation with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that Russia would make every effort to make the Bushehr nuclear power plant fully operational at the planned time.
Later Iran announced that the Iranian engineers in cooperation with Russian experts have managed to complete the reloading of the reactor.
The plant, which is located near the port of Bushehr on the coast of the Persian Gulf, will produce 1000 megawatts of electricity once it becomes fully operational.