Syrian parliament speaker to arrive in Russia Tue for visit.

MOSCOW, October 27 (Itar-Tass) - Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud
al-Abrash arrives in Russia on Tuesday for a four-day visit to disscuss
prospects for the development of bilateral relations.

An official at the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Russian
Federation has told Itar-Tass that the main purpose of the visit by the
Head of the Syrian People's Assembly (Majlis al-Shaab), is "to strengthen
and develop friendly relations between the parliaments of the two
countries".
These matters will be discussed during meetings to be held by Mahmoud
al-Abrash with Boris Gryzlov, Speaker of the State Duma lower house of the
Russian parliament, and Konstantin Kosachyov, Chairman of the State Duma
Committee on International Affairs, on October 30.
The programme for the Syrian parliamentarian's stay in Russia also
provides for a trip to St Petersburg where al-Abrash will hold talks with
Governor Valentina Matviyenko, the Embassy official pointed out.
Russia and Syria have been historically maintaining relations of
strategic partnership. According to Alexander Saltanov, special
representative of the RF President for the Middle East, and Deputy Foreign
Minister, "Russia strives to strengthen and develop the political dialogue
and mutually beneficial cooperation with Syria, which sis one of major
countries in the region". The two countries act from common positions on
the need for a resumption of the comprehensive peace process in the Middle
East.
In the economic field, "Russia-Syria trade turnover in 2008 manifested
a record-high growth, running at over $2,000 milllion". Russian companies
operating in Syria implement a number of large-scale projects, primarily
those concenring the production, processing and transportation of
hydrocarbon fuel. The Russo-Syrian intergovernmental commission for trade,
economic, scientific and technical cooperation plays a substantial role in
coordinating the activities.

.China fishing boats seek refuge near Kuriles from typhoon.

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, October 27 (Itar-Tass) - The Chinese fishing fleet
operating in the Pacific Ocean is seeking refuge near the Kuril islands,
fleeing from Typhoon Lupit. A request for sheltering came to the rescue
coordinating subcenter Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Tuesday from 214 Chinese
trawlers and schooners, captain on duty Nikolai Ivanov has announced.
The typhoon's northern wind has already begun to batter the South
Kuril islands. It is heavily raining there and wind velocity mounts up to
15 metres per second. However, towards the evening the wind will gather a
hurricane force -- up to 40 metres per second, the Sakhalin-based
hydrometeocenter has announced.
The Russian fishing fleet is also heading for various sheltering
places near the Kuriles. From Iturup island, schooners are setting off to
the Kunashir island where in the Spokoiny (calm) Bay it is possible to
take refuge from storm waves the height of which in the Pacific can be
8-10 metres.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Typhoon Lupit will be sweeping along the
Kuril island chain at a rate of 40 km an hour. It will then proceed to the
Kamchatka Peninsula and get away, abated, to the Bering Sea. The diameter
of the typhoon is about160 km. Its northern wing will not reach out to
Sakhalin.

.RF ministry to take part in Entsorga-Enteco exhibition.

MOSCOW, October 27 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Ministry of Natural
Resources will take part in the Entsorga-Enteco-20009, an internationa
trade fair for waste management and environmental technology, opening in
Cologne on Tuesday.
An official in the Ministry's press service said the Russian
delegation "will acquaint participants in the exhibition with the
Ministry's waste management and environmental protection projects that are
being implemented in Russia, and with the Ministry's ecological policy."
"Within the framework of the business programme, the Ministry
delegation members will familiarise themselves with international waste
management experience, specifically that with the use of refuse
incinerators," the Ministry official added.
The Entsorga Enteco-2009 exhibition is held once in three years,
beginning from 2006. The main themes of the exhibition are solutions to
the problems of industrial waste disposal, air pollution abatement,
reduction in exhaust fumes, and the purification of industrial effluents
and other water.
The exhibition is also to feature projects for the removal of snow
from city streets, urban greening, and noise abatement in residential and
industrial zones.
The exhibition will run from Oct 27 to 30.
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