The latest: Russian Foreign Minister Urges UN Nuclear Body to Resolve Iran Conflict

17.11.2006
Russian Foreign Minister Urges UN Nuclear Body to Resolve Iran Conflict
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Friday for renewed talks with Iran over its nuclear program and said the UN nuclear watchdog, not the Security Council, should lead efforts to resolve the standoff.

17.11.2006
Georgia’s Separatist Provinces Set Conditions for Talks With Tbilisi
The leaders of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia expounded on Friday conditions upon which, they said, the two regions are willing to resume talks with Georgia.

17.11.2006
EU Commission Hopes Polish Veto on Deal With Russia Will Be Dropped
The European Commission has said it hopes Poland will drop its veto of next week’s talks on a cooperation agreement between the EU and Russia, saying it was doing “everything it can” to help Warsaw resolve its dispute over meat exports and energy issues.

17.11.2006
Russia Moves to End Voter Turnout Requirement
Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on Friday approved a bill that will end a requirement that links the validity of elections to the size of the voter turnout.

17.11.2006
Russia Begins Early Troops Withdrawal From Georgia
A convoy of Russian military hardware and other equipment left the Georgian capital Thursday en route to a base in Armenia in the latest pullout of materiel from the Caucasus Mountains nation.

17.11.2006
Russia’s Senior Medical Insurance Official Held Over Graft Suspicions
Chairman of the Russian Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund was arrested on suspicion of bribery Friday.

17.11.2006
Putin Says Russia Needs High End Nuclear Forces
The country’s nuclear forces must remain capable of guaranteeing the destruction of any potential aggressor, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, as he addressed a meeting of senior military officials.

17.11.2006
Russian Airline Launches Extra Flight to Promote Sochi 2014 Winter Bid
In a move to boost Russia’s chances to win the bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, a Russian airline company has announced plans to launch additional flights from Moscow to the Black Sea resort.

17.11.2006
Georgia Is No Counterweight to Russia — U.S. Official
The United States does not consider Georgia to be a “counterweight to Russia,” but sees the former Soviet republic as a model for democratic change, a U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

17.11.2006
Solzhenitsyn’s Complete Works to be Published in Russia
Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s wife on Thursday presented the initial three volumes of the first full collection of his works to be published in Russia, a country still struggling with the legacy of the oppressive era he documented.

17.11.2006
Top Police Officer Found Dead in South Russian Republic
A senior police official in Russia’s internal republic of Bashkortostan was found dead in his garage, local media reports.

17.11.2006
Khodorkovsky’s Lawyer Urges EU Businesses to Back Human Rights
The lawyer representing jailed former Yukos chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky has called on European businesses to join the fight for human rights and the rule of law in Russia to protect their own interests.

17.11.2006
Russia, Pakistan Seek to Boost Cooperation
Pakistan and Russia agreed on Thursday to expand their cooperation in various fields including trade, economic, oil, gas and defense.

17.11.2006
Pro-Kremlin Youth Group Protests Estonia’s Move to Pull Down Soviet Warrior Monuments
Activists of the pro-Kremlin youth group picketed the building of Estonia’s diplomatic mission in Moscow, protesting against Tallinn’s initiative to dismantle monuments to Soviet-era war heros in that country. destruct Russian liberator soldier monuments.

17.11.2006
Russian UN Ambassador Questions Legitimacy of Lebanon’s Hariri Court
Russia questioned on Thursday whether Lebanon’s government had acted legitimately in approving a special court to try suspects in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.