Chavez arrives in Turkmenistan.

ASHGABAT, September 7 (Itar-Tass) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
arrived in Turkmenistan for his first official visit on Sunday.
Ashgabat assesses this visit as "the launch of a constructive
interstate dialogue that proves mutual intention and readiness of the two
friendly nations for stepping up multifaceted cooperation."

At the Ashgabat International Airport Chavez was met by Vice-Premier
Baimurad Khodzhamukhammedov.
The official meeting of the Turkmen and Venezuelan leaders is
scheduled for Monday, the governmental press service said.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Hugo Chavez are "expected to discuss a
raft of issues and set priorities for the long-term mutually advantageous
partnership that has big prospects taking into account the two countries'
economic potential."
According to the official statement, "Turkmenistan and Venezuela plan
to build their relations both on the bilateral and multilateral basis,
first of all within the framework of big international organizations on
the principles of pragmatism, trust and mutual advantage."


.Lithuanian, Italian FMs to discuss deeper coop within EU, NATO.

VILNIUS, September 7 (Itar-Tass) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco
Frattini arrives in Vilnius on Monday to meet with his Lithuanian
counterpart Vygaudas Usackas to discuss the plans towards deeper bilateral
cooperation within the framework of the EU and NATO, the press service of
the Baltic Republic's foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Vilnius and Rome share similar positions on Afghanistan, where
Lithuania leads t he international NATO group engaged in post-war
reconstruction of Afghanistan's Ghor province.
Italy believes that the pullout of troops from Afghanistan would be
the refusal of obligations taken by the world community, Frattini told the
EU ministerial meeting in Stockholm.
Usackas stressed that it is necessary to strengthen the administrative
resource of central and especially local authorities and press for equal
development of all regions of Afghanistan. He described as "Lithuania's
contribution to the region's restoration" the high turnout of Ghor
Province at the elections in August that accounted for around 50 percent
of votes and exceeded the national average.
Vilnius that has big financial problems addressed NATO's partners with
a request to join civil projects in Ghor Province. Experts suppose that
the talks between the Lithuanian and Italian diplomats may focus on this
issue.
Stronger economic relations between he two countries will also be high
on the talks' agenda.



.Two killed, seven injured in Moscow's road accident.

MOSCOW, September 7 (Itar-Tass) - Two people were killed and another
seven injured in a road accident in Moscow's south-east, the capital's law
enforcement agency told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The accident occurred at the intersection Volgograd Prospect and
Lyublinskaya Street at midnight.
"According to preliminary information, seven cars crashed at once," a
law enforcer said.
Those injured are being hospitalized.
Those injured are being hospitalized.
Investigation is underway.



.Yushchenko begins two-day visit to Poland Monday.

KIEV, September 7 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
begins his two-day visit to Poland on Monday.
He is expected to meet with his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski,
Prime Minister Donald Tusk and speaker of the lower house of Polish
parliament Bronislaw Komorowski.
The two presidents will focus on Ukrainian-Polish cooperation, the
presidential press service said.
Yushchenko and Kaczynski will discuss "the problems of global,
European and regional security and stability, interaction towards Ukraine'
s Euro-Atlantic integration as well as economic, cross-border and regional
cooperation between the two countries," the source said.
They will also discuss preparations to co-host the 2012 UEFA European
Football Championship.
Yushchenko "plans to stress the need for stronger joint efforts in the
process of Ukrainian-Polish unity and conciliation," the press service
said.
The Polish side seeks to focus on energy cooperation, including the
Odessa-Brody-Plotsk oil pipeline, border cooperation and international
problems, including the situation in the Caucasus.
"Yushchenko's visit is aimed at confirming strategic relations between
Warsaw and Kiev," said Mariusz Handzlik, the Polish president's spokesman.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president will visit Przemysl, southern
Poland, to study the existing border and regional cooperation between the
two countries.
This is already Yushchenko's fourth visit to Poland this year. He
visited the neighboring country twice in January over the gas row and in
July to participate in the events of mark the 440th anniversary of the
Union of Lublin.