Russian, Brazilian anti-trust agencies sign cooperation program.

MOSCOW, September 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Federal Anti-monopoly
Service (FAS) signed a program of cooperation for 2010-2011 with Brazil's
anti-trust agencies.

The meeting between FAS director Igor Artemyev with
his Brazilian colleague took place within the framework of the
international conference on competition under the aegis of BRIC (Brazil,
Russia, India, China), which is taking place in Kazan on September 1-2.
In the course of the talks, the parties noted the importance of the
international conference on competition under the aegis of BRIC, which is
the first step towards practical implementation of the accords, reached at
the political level, and is a good basis for developing further
cooperation between the BRIC anti-trust agencies.
The parties, after briefing each other on the latest changes in the
anti-trust legislation of Russia and Brazil, arrived at the conclusion
that such changes would enable them to reach an entirely new level of
bilateral interaction, which includes investigations.
PRIME-TASS reported that the leaders of the anti-trust agencies of
Russia and Brazil informed each about the high-profile cases which the
agencies had recently investigated. The efforts to take measures against
cartels have been considered as well.
Igor Artemyev told about the actions the FAS is taking to stop the
violations of the Russian anti-monopoly law on the market of petroleum
products. The products agreed to develop cooperation in the sphere of oil
production, within the framework of anti-trust legislation.
In a communique, adopted on Tuesday, BRIC noted that an active
competitive policy is one of the important factors in overcoming the world
financial crisis.
The document was signed by Igor Artemyev (Russia), Antonio Henrique
Silvera, secretary of the anti-trust arm of Brazil's Finance Ministry,
Dhanendra Kumar, chairman of the Competition Commission of India, and
Chinese Minister Zhou Bohua, State Administration for Industry and
Commerce.
The communique said the directors of the anti-trust agencies of
Brazil, Russia, India and China express firm confidence that the dialogue
in the format of BRIC in the field of competition policy is based on
mutual trust and respect.
The BRIC representatives called for regular international conferences
on competition.
"We agreed to meet every two years," Artemyev said, "China will host
the next conference."
According to him, the participants have a principled and friendly talk
on joint measures in the anti-monopoly struggle, in the first place the
struggle against cartels.
An important decision of the forum was the parties' agreement to set
up joint working groups to monitor state procurements and creat an
electronic procurement system.
This form will help to considerably "step up the fight against
corruption and save much budget money," Artemyev said.
The working group working on permanent basis have good prospects, he
said, noting that several such groups would be set up.
Russia intends to set up a working group on economic cooperation
between the Far East and China.
Taking part in the work of the conference is Russia's First Deputy
Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.



.Dniester region leader accuses West of unleashing information war.

TIRASPOL, September 2 (Itar-Tass) - Leader of Moldova's breakaway
Dniester region Igor Smirnov accused the West of unleashing
information-psychological war against the self-proclaimed republic.
Smirnov said so on Tuesday, on the eve of the 19th anniversary of the
establishment of the self-proclaimed republic, which is marked on
September 2.
"Amidst the world crisis, we've seen an increase in destructive
activity of the forces hostile to the Dniester region this year, which is
aimed at waging an information-psychological war, dismantling of our
statehood and liquidation of Russian presence in the region," Smirnov
noted.
The organizers are western embassies, foundations, government bodies
and secret services of Moldova which are leaning on "the fifth column" in
the Dniester region: non-government organizations and their associates.
"The doctrine used against us is based on "the color technologies"
tested in a number of CIS and European states," Smirnov underlined.
The Dniester region president also noted that "the people of the
Dniester region has determined the pro-Russian vector not because of
special material advantages and preferences."
"The Dniester region has been gravitating toward the Russian
civilization from of old," he said.
The talks over the Dniester settlement in the 5 + 2 format (Moldova,
Dniester Region, Organization for Security and Cooperation in European
(OSCE), Russia, Ukraine and observers from the United States and the
European Union) broke up in late February 2006. Russia mediated the
resumption of the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol two years later.
In April 2008, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and Dniester region
leader Igor Smirnov met for the first time after a seven-year pause.
They agreed to resume regular contacts with the view of building
confidence and restoring the negotiating processes.
However, the talks have stalled, due to the uncertain political
situation in Moldova, which has held two parliamentary election since and
has not formed the new government.
-0-myz