#5522
[Second Issue of the Day]
#3
ORT Review
www.ortv.ru
Compiled by Luba Schwartzman (luba7@bu.edu)
Research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy
at Boston University
HEADLINES,
- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has arrived in Washington. He will meet with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to make arrangements for President Putin's upcoming visit to Washington, D.C. and to President Bush's ranch in Texas.
- The political crisis connected to Georgia's RustAvi-2 television channel continues. Earlier today, President Edvard Shevarnadze threatened to resign "if his interests were in the way of the nation's interests." Then, speaking at parliament, he dismissed his government.
- In the meanwhile, thousands of protesters are still rallying in Tbilisi, urging an end to corruption, the retirement of power-organ ministers, and now, even the resignation of Shevarnadze himself.
- The Russian government has not expressed an official position on the events in Georgia. Dmitry Rogozhin, the head of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee thinks that Russia should remain an observer, simultaneously strengthening its borders with Georgia.
- First Deputy Director of the Federal Border Troops of the Russian Federation Nikolai Reznichenko stated that "there is some evidence that Chechen field commander Ruslan Gelaev returned to the Pankisi Gorge after his division was destroyed in Abkhazia."
- The Russian government is increasing efforts to fight money laundering. President Putin signed a decree creating the Financial Monitoring Committee. Viktor Zubkov, formerly the deputy minister for taxes and collection, will head the committee, which will begin its work on 1 February 2001. There are about 40 suspicious operations it is expected to investigate.
- State Duma deputies discussed the third part of the Civil Code and amendments to the laws "On the Status of Judges," "On the Court System" and "On the Constitutional Court." There is no doubt that all three laws will be passed.
- The State Duma took a second vote on depriving Vladimir Golovlev (accused of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of office by the General Prosecutor) of parliamentary immunity. This time there were no abstentions; 387 voted for, and 2 against. The decision was made for a "softer version" of the punishment -- without the right for a search or an arrest.
- The Military College of the Russian Supreme Court has refused to rehabilitate General Andrei Vlasov and his supporters. The general and 11 other commanders were convicted of treason, terrorism, diversion, and counterrevolutionary propaganda on 1 August 1946. Those requesting rehabilitation argued that Vlasov fought against Stalin's regime and not against the nation.
- President Putin opened today's ceremony celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation by praising the Court's achievements towards the development of democracy in Russia.
- New steps have been taken in the investigation of the crash of the TU-154 airplane. Russian Security Council Chairman Vladimir Rushailo has arrived to inspect the air base from which the Ukrainian missile -- officially recognized to have shot down the airliner -- was launched at 13:41 Moscow time on October 4th.
- Six arrests have been made in connection with the assassination of Dagestani Deputy Parliament Speaker Arsen Kammaev. One of the suspects is Dzhabrail Khachilaev, the brother of former State Duma Deputy Nadir Khachilaev.
- Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov announced that one of the critical questions discussed at today's cabinet meeting was the distribution of living-space vouchers to army reservists.
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