SELEZNEV GETS READY FOR ELECTIONS
Trud, March 5, 2003, EV
Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev stated at a press conference that he intends to participate in the next Duma elections. He stressed that he has received so many offers that he had even been surprised. However, he hasn’t decided yet what region he would represent. There is his native town of Serov, one of electoral districts of St. Petersburg, and some regions of the Central Russia.
Speaking about the opponents and allies of his Russia’s Renaissance party, Seleznev stated that he doubted whether his party would agree with Yabloko – and would never agree with Zhirinovsky. Seleznev named his allies as well. They are the Party for Workers’ Self-Government, the Labor Party and, probably, the Eurasian Party – Union of Russian Patriots.
Commenting on his relations with the CPRF, Seleznev stressed that he doesn’t intend to cooperate with Gennady Zyuganov overall, although local cooperation is probable enough. He cited the Perm region as an example, where, according to Seleznev, the local communists share the program of the Russia’s Renaissance party.
SLAVIC MEETING
Trud, March 5, 2003, EV
The Secretaries of the Security Councils of Belarus, Poland, Russia and Ukraine began their meeting yesterday in Polotsk, Belarus. The main issue of the discussion is the war on terrorism. The Secretaries of the Security councils of these four countries deliberately decided to meet now. According to observers, the threat of surprise terrorist attacks has risen all over the world in connection with the situation in Iraq.
Sources in the Russian Security Council said the meeting in Polotsk would also discuss forming of a modern security system in Europe, and border cooperation problems – for example, countering organized crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking.
