New Medvedev's representative to call meeting in NCaucasus.

MOSCOW, January 20 (Itar-Tass) - Alexander Khloponin, appointed on
Tuesday the Russian president's plenipotentiary representative in the new
North Caucasian Federal District, will be presented on Wednesday to the
heads of North Caucasian republics, incorporated in this federal district,
Itar-Tass learnt from sources in the area.

According to sources, Khloponin "will call the first meeting in the
capital of the Stavropol Territory (city of Stavropol) as the
plenipotentiary representative, will get acquainted with the situation in
the North Caucasus and will map out priority tasks".
It is probable that the new representative will visit spa cities in
the area where the biggest city of Pyatigorsk will be the capital of the
new federal district.

.Pres & technological cmmssn to discuss better technical regulation.

MOSCOW, January 20 (Itar-Tass) - A set of urgent measures for the
earliest modernisation of the technical regulation system should be
hammered out by the results of a regular meeting of the commission on
modernisation and technological development of the Russian economy, which
will be called by President Dmitry Medvedev in Lipetsk on Wednesday,
Itar-Tass learnt at the presidential press service.
"They will include measures on improving operating legislation as well
as measures of organisational and administrative nature," the press
service explained. "A decision was taken to supplement the national system
of standards with international standards at the earliest."
"The Wednesday meeting will examine the question on improving the
state policy in technical regulation for modernising and developing
technologically the Russian economy," the press service noted. Attention
to this question is attributed to the fact that the need is ripe for using
technical regulation not only as a system of safe goods for population,
but also as an instrument of active industrial policy.
"The head of state regards as basically important the development of
the sphere of technical regulation as the key factor for buttressing
several important areas of the state policy, including competition,
introduction of innovations, modernisation of the economy as well as
development of the system of the government and municipal order," the
press service emphasised.
"The aim of improving the national basis of standards is not only to
overcome its backwardness, but also to counter the spread of corruption at
various levels, starting from departmental systems of accreditation and
ending with operation of various supervisory bodies," the Kremlin noted.
Reports at the meeting in Lipetsk will be made by Minister of Industry
and Trade Viktor Khristenko and head of the Federal Agency for Technical
Regulation and Metrology Grigory Elkin. The position of the business
community will be spelled out by head of the Committee of the Russian
Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs for technical regulation,
standardisation and assessment of conformity Dmitry Pumpyansky.
It is expected that the Russian leader will visit several enterprises
during his working trip to the Lipetsk Region, including the Novolipetsk
iron and steel combine and a factory producing metal wiring and metal
cord. He will also get acquainted with a project of a Lipetsk special
economic zone and will have a chat with representatives of resident
companies of the zone.

.Russia, Kyrgyzstan to develop cooperation within CIS.

BISHKEK, January 20 (Itar-Tass) - Russian First Deputy Prime Minister
Igor Shuvalov will hold several meetings with members of the Kyrgyz
leadership in Bishkek on Wednesday, where the sides will discuss the
development of partnership within the CIS, Itar-Tass learnt at the Russian
embassy in Kyrgyzstan.
Shuvalov arrived in the republic on a working visit on Tuesday as the
national coordinator for CIS affairs in Russia, presiding in the
Commonwealth this year.
The Russian vice-premier plans during his fact-finding trip to meet
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov and will discuss with him the
question of boosting partnership between the republic and CIS as well as
the most promising areas of cooperation in trade, economic, cultural,
humanitarian, scientific and technical spheres.
It is probable that the sides will examine the question on progress in
implementing agreements, signed earlier by the presidents of the two
countries by the results of their talks.
According to staffers of the Russian embassy in Bishkek, Shuvalov's
visit programme is still being specified. It is quite probable that he
will also meet President Kurmanbek Bakiev or Foreign Minister Kadyrbek
Sarbayev.
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