Medvedev to meet North Caucasus muftis and leaders.

SOCHI, August 28 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will
meet North Caucasus muftis and regional leaders in his Black Sea residence
on Friday to discuss the tense situation in the predominantly Muslim
region.

It is the first time the president meets Muslim spiritual leaders
jointly with secular governors.

Medvedev met heads of Muslim communities in Moscow in the middle of
July and called for religious tolerance.
"In many regions of the planet extremist moods are on the rise and,
unfortunately, extremist organizations are active also in Russia. This
factor destabilizes the situation in our country and we have to take all
measures to neutralize it," the president said.
"Muslim religious organizations make a major contribution to
maintaining civil peace and to spiritual and moral education of people, to
the fight against extremism and xenophobia," the president said.
On Monday Medvedev met Buddhist spiritual leaders and urged to refrain
from foreign assistance in religious education.
"It is not necessary to receive any foreign assistance, we shall cope
with all the problems ourselves," he said.
Despite the economic crisis "our country is strong and economically
versatile. Firstly, we shall endure all the problems and, secondly, we
have our own resources to promote the development of traditional
confessions, which have existed in Russia for centuries," he said.


.Police kill three militants in Dagestan.

MAKHACHKALA, August 28 (Itar-Tass) -- Police killed three militants in
Dagestani capital of Makhachkala overnight after they opened fire at a
police post from a car.
Police sustained no losses either during the attack or in the
follow-up special operation to eliminate the militants who hid themselves
in a private house.
The surrounded attackers refused to surrender and a shootout lasted
for several hours. The militants used firearms and grenade launchers.
Police killed the militants and the shootout caused a fire in the
house. Police later found submachine guns and numerous munitions in the
building.
The militants are being identified, however police said there were
members of Makhachkala-based extremist unit that attacked law enforcers in
the republic.

.Russian envoy discusses energy projects with SKorea.

SEOUL, August 28 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian presidential envoy to the Far
East Viktor Ishayev held talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
and said they discussed joint development of energy resources and
cooperation in infrastructure construction and information technologies.
Ishayev, who also met Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, told Tass on
Friday he discussed "a wide range of economic cooperation issues between
the two countries".
"Seoul is interested that Russia is currently putting emphasis on the
development of relations with Asia and the Pacific Rim as the most rapidly
and dynamically developing region of the world. We have the economic basis
for cooperation, as well as the political one," he said recalling Russia
and South Korea will mark 20 years of diplomatic relations next year.
"We have no territorial problems, no major debts or other unsettled
issues," Ishayev said.

.Earthquake reported in Pacific east of Kurile range.

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, August 28 (Itar-Tass) -- An underwater earthquake
force 5.1 Richter scale was reported early on Friday in the Pacific Ocean
to the east of the Kurile range.
The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismic station said there was no tsunami
danger, as it emerges if the earthquake force exceeds 7. The tremors were
not felt in Kurile settlements.
According to the US Geophysical Service, the epicenter was 2.6
kilometers below the ocean bed and 406 kilometers away from the city of
Kurilsk on the Iturup Island.
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