Duma to mull setting up panel to probe into HPS wreck

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MOSCOW, September 16 (Itar-Tass) - The State Duma lower house of the
Russian parliament is to consider the question of setting up a
parliamentary commission to ascertain the causes of the breakdown at the
Sayano-Shushenskoye hydropower station (HPS).

House Speaker Boris Gryzlov has told journalists that the House
members want to analyse systemic miscalculations that led to the tragic
consequences at the HPS and eradicate causes of similar disasters in the
future.
Gryzlov does not rule it out that amendments will have to be
introduced to a number of laws of the Russian Federation as a result of
parliamentary probe.
Such a commission is expected to include House Deputy Speaker
Alexander Babakov, Yuri Lipatov and Yuri Maslyukov, heads of the
committees on energy and industry, as well as Vladimir Pekhtin, first
deputy leader of the faction of the United Russia party.

.Lithuania, Belarus presidents to discuss cooperation.

VILNIUS, September 16 (Itar-Tass) - Presidents Dalija Gribauskaite of
Lithuania and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus meet here on Wednesday to
discuss the state of bilateral relations and matters aimed furthering
cooperation. The Belarussian leader has arrived in the Lithuanian capital
for a working visit.
Lukashenko told Lithuanian media in an interview Tuesday, "It is
essential for us to reconsider our relations and map out ways to further
cooperation, which is especially topical in the light of the
financial-and-economic downturn". He referred to relations with Lithuania
as "very good" ones. "We practically lack big problems in (our) mutual
relations," the President of Belarus said.
These relations are based on mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
Expert opinion is that the cooperation may become still closer in the
energy sector after Lithuania closes down the Ignalina nuclear power
station at the end of 2009. Belarus, for its part, is planning to build a
nuclear power station of its own and energize it in 2016. The two
presidents are to exchange views on energy cooperation matters.
Lukashenko is expected to attend the opening of the Belarus EXPO-2009
exhibition and meet with businessmen within the framework of the forum on
the theme of "Belarus--Baltic States: Fresh Opportunities for Wider
Cooperation".
During Lukashenko's visit to Vilnius, the sides are to sign
intergovernmental agreements on a procedure for cross-border travel for
residents of the border areas of the two countries, on the legal status
of the State border, and a Lithuanian-Belarussian-Polish agreement on
border crossing.

.Syrian president to discuss Iraq situation in Ankara Wed.

BEIRUT, September 16 (Itar-Tass) - The situation in Iraq and prospects
for a resumption of the peace dialogue with Israel are to be discussed by
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Ankara on Wednesday.
Al-Assad will arrive in the Turkish capital on Wednesday afternoon
and, together with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan, will attend iftar -- an evening meal to break daylight fast
during the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Several rounds of indirect contacts between Syrian and Israeli
diplomats were held in Istanbul last year with Turkey's mediation. Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has made it clear that Ankara is prepared
to resume its services to to normalise the peace process.
Turkey has also assumed a difficult mission to normalise Syrian-Iraqi
relations that grew aggravated after the explosions which rocked Baghdad
on August 19 and which entailed loss of life.
Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki accused Syria of "sheltering war
criminals involved in that act of sabotage" He sent a message to the UN
Security Council in a proposal to establish an International tribunal on
Iraq "so as to put an end to terrorist activities being practised from the
territories of neighbouring countries". Syria reacted calmly to that Iraqi
demarche, suggesting that the crisis be settled "without undue
internationalisation".
The Syrian Arab news agency SANA reported that during the upcoming
talks, Assad and Erdogan would also discuss ways to give greater scope to
bilateral relations that had developed rapidly in recent years. Trade
turnover between the two neighbouring countries is expected to run at
$3,000 million this year.
The sides cooperate in a mutually beneficial way in the fields of
energy, industry, transport, and tourism. In an interview to SANA, Erdogan
emphasized that Syrian-Turkish partnership "serves the cause of peace and
security and is an example of goodneighbourlyrelations in the Middle East".
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