RUSSIA WELCOMES SWEDEN, SLOVAKIA JOINING GLOBAL ANTI-NUKE TERRORISM INITIATIVE

Source: Xinhua
May 31, 2007

Russia welcomes the decision of Stockholm and Bratislava to join
the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and hopes that the
country will make an impressive contribution to the implementation
of this initiative, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Sweden and Slovakia have officially informed Russia and the United
States, as the Global Initiative’s co-chairs, that they support the
Statement of Initiative Principles," an official of the ministry was
quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying, adding that the number
of the Initiative member countries has thus reached 39.

The Global Initiative was declared by the presidents of Russia and
the United States, Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush, during the
summit of the Group of Eight near St. Petersburg in July 2006, he said.

According to the official, since this event, the founders of the
Initiative (G8 member states, as well as Australia, Turkey, China,
Kazakhstan, and Morocco) have met twice in the capitals of Morocco
and Turkey.

"The first meeting of the Initiative member countries in Rabat in
October 2006 adopted statutory documents of the Global Initiative
— the statement on principles and provisions on realization and
appraisal," the diplomat said.

"During the second meeting in Ankara this February, the parties
approved the action plan for 2007-2008," he said.

Ukraine, Greece, Palau, Israel, Macedonia, Cambodia, Armenia, Romania,
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Montenegro,
Cabo Verde, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Turkmenistan
and Madagascar have already joined the Initiative after the meeting
in Ankara, the diplomat said.

The third meeting of the Global Initiative member countries will take
place in Astana on June 11-12, the official said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress