Russia, Ecuador leaders to sign partnership declaration & agreements.

MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) - Russian and Ecuadorian presidents
Dmitry Medvedev and Rafael Correa will hold talks on Thursday, by the
results of which the sides will sign several bilateral documents,
including a Declaration of Strategic Partnership and agreements in the
sphere of energy, peace atom and telecommunications, Itar-Tass learnt from a representative of the presidential office.

"The heads of state intend to give special attention at the coming
talks to stepping up further cooperation in various spheres, including
implementation of joint projects in oil production, oil processing, the
mining industry, the power industry, agriculture and fisheries," he noted.
The Kremlin notes that Ecuador is among the five major trading
partners of Russia in Latin America.

.Russia and US to discuss START and Iran nuclear problem.

MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov and US national security adviser James Jones will discuss on
Thursday reduction of offensive strategic weapons (START) and the Iranian
nuclear problem at their Moscow meeting on Thursday.
Preparation of a new START treaty and cooperation between Russia and
the US in international security will be the main items on the agenda of
talks between Jones and Russian plenipotentiary representatives. For
instance he will also meet secretary of the Russian Security Council
Nikolai Patrushev and the Russian president's assistant Sergei Prikhodko.
Preparation of a new agreement which will replace the treaty on
reduction of strategic arms (START-1) expiring in December, was discussed
during a recent phone call between the Russian and US presidents. The
Kremlin press service reported earlier that the two sides hope to hammer
out a full-format legally binding treaty on START by the beginning of
December. Particulars of this treaty are now being thrashed out.
During the July visit by the US president to Moscow, Barack Obama and
President Medvedev signed the framework agreement on reducing the number
of nuclear warheads by each side to 1,500-1,675 units during the following
seven years.
Besides, the two countries plan to discuss, along with START, the
Iranian nuclear topic. The US president's national adviser reported
earlier that the US does not preclude a chance of inflicting a military
strike on Iran. According to Jones, this will happen if Tehran does not
take steps in the near future to curtail its nuclear programme.
Russia, the US and France whose representatives held talks with Iran
on fuel deliveries for the research centre in Tehran, confirmed their
principled support for an agreed draft document. Iran has taken a pause
for the time being. Lavrov noted on Wednesday that "Iranians said that
they would give their reply over the next few days, and I would not say
that they turned it down, since it (Eds: scheme of the deal) meets Iran's
interests as well as interests of all of us".
It was made public on Wednesday that Iran will convey an official
reply to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to a draft
international agreement, providing for a dispatch of part of Iranian
low-grade uranium abroad where it will be brought to a condition,
necessary for the use as fuel at Iranian nuclear projects.
Iranian representative to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanie will meet the
agency's director-general Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna and will convey him
Iran's reply.

.Second Russian industrial exhibition opens in Yerevan.

YEREVAN, October 29 (Itar-Tass) - The second Russian industrial
exhibition "Expo-Russia-Armenia" which will open at the House of
Government in Yerevan, will show achievements of the Russian economy. It
is expected that the opening ceremony of the exhibition will be attended
by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
"The exhibition aims at promoting the development of economic,
scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the Russian
Federation and Armenia, establishment and consolidation of contacts
between producers of the two countries, development of joint businesses,
trade, economic and investment relations," Itar-Tass learnt at the
exposition organising committee.
Exhibitors include 60 Russian companies which will show new
technologies in energy, engineering, metallurgy, high technologies,
nonotechnologies, construction, the car industry, telecommunications, the
oil and gas industries, agriculture, building machinery, medicine and
pharmaceutics as well as other sectors.
The conference "Russia-Armenia: economic cooperation", meetings at
ministries, departments as well as visits to Armenian enterprises and
roundtables will be held on the sidelines of the Yerevan exhibition.
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