In this issue:

LaRouche Gives 'Strategic Planner's' View in Russian Online Interview

Conference in Khabarovsky on Asia-Pacific Development

Transport Ministry Pursues Freight Increases

Saudi Crown Prince Will Visit Moscow

Russia-Ukraine Talks Take Up Natural Gas Supplies

Powell To Visit Russia After Mideast Trip

Russia and U.S. To Launch Joint Program for Mars Exploration

From Volume 2, Issue Number 19 of Electronic Intelligence Weekly, Published May 13, 2003
Russia and Central Asia News Digest

LaRouche Gives 'Strategic Planner's' View in Russian Online Interview

The Russian online periodical Polyarnaya Zvezda ("The Pole Star") on May 8 posted an interview with U.S. Democratic Party Presidential pre-candidate Lyndon LaRouche, who answered written questions from its editors on April 23. Polyarnaya Zvezda is publishing responses to the same six questions—they deal with the motivation, opposition to and consequences of the U.S.-led attack on Iraq—from Russian analysts, as well as a handful of anti-war U.S. academics.

LaRouche gave Polyarnaya Zvezda a hard-hitting account of "the real reasons for the actions of the current U.S. Administration," as a function of the "ongoing coup d'etat" led by fanatical followers of the late fascist Prof. Leo Strauss and synarchist Alexandre Kojève.

To a question about how the world will change after the Iraq war, LaRouche replied, "In a crisis situation of the epoch-making characteristics of this one, I warn against any seeping predictions. I react as a strategic planner. What policies should be adopted? How should we fight to bring those alternatives into being?" In his extended answer, LaRouche then developed the principles and policies, necessary "to get the passengers safely off the unsinkable, but sinking ship Titanic," which are otherwise presented in his April 28 paper, "A World of Sovereign Nation-States."

Within the interview, Polyarnaya Zvezda provides links to the Children of Satan pamphlet on www.larouchein2004.com, as well as to the Russian translation of LaRouche's 2000 paper, "On a Basket of Hard Commodities: Trade Without Currency." Alongside the interview text is a picture of LaRouche speaking, and additional links to the Russian-language section of EIR's web site (www.larouchepub.com/russian) and to Andrei Kobyakov's 2001 article on LaRouche, "A Man Who Is a Titan," in Russky Predprinimatel ("Russian Entrepreneur").

Polyarnaya Zvezda is produced in the Ural Mountain city of Yekaterinburg, by a group of intellectuals who have studied the writings of Lyndon LaRouche, as well as articles published by his late associate Prof. Taras Muranivsky, for many years.

Conference in Khabarovsky on Asia-Pacific Development

An international symposium on "The Far East and Asia-Pacific Region" opened May 6 in Khabarovsk, in Russia's Far East, RIA-Novosti reported. The conference is sponsored by the Khabarovsk regional government and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and is chaired by Viktor Ishayev, head of the Russian National Committee for Pacific Economic cooperation.

The conference will discuss development policy under globalization; integration of the Asia-Pacific region; Russia's strategic development in this decade; energy cooperation in Northeast Asia; and economic cooperation between eastern Russia and Northeast China; and development of transportation corridors in East Asia.

Scientists from Russia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and other countries have applied for participation.

Transport Ministry Pursues Freight Increases

The Russian government wants to increase cargo traffic between Southeast Asia and Europe through Russia, but has to improve its transport infrastructure, Deputy Transportation Minister Chingiz Izmailov announced May 5. Russia wants to be able to compete with longer routes that circumvent its territory, the Moscow Times reported, but this will cost millions of dollars in investment.

Moscow proposes setting up a consortium of the shipping companies—of Russia, Iran, and Germany—which use the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to help with needed investments. The trans-Russian route could be faster and cheaper than the now-dominant route to Europe via the Suez Canal. Transportation Minister Sergei Frank said that North-South transit could be worth tens of billions of dollars to Russia in a few years, but this is hindered by the lack of railroad, highway and river infrastructure between the Caspian Sea and St. Petersburg.

Izmailov said that seven million tons of goods were shipped through Russia along the INSTC last year, and eight million tons could be shipped this year, "depending on the development of the route." He proposed that Iran's state-owned cargo fleet participate, along with the St. Petersburg Port, Olya Port, near Astrakhan on the Caspian, and the Free Port of Hamburg in Germany. The consortium proposal "has been given a high rating" by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and President Vladimir Putin.

Last year, three nations—Russia, Iran, and India—set up a coordination council for the INSTC. Belarus and Kazakhstan have joined, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, Oman and Syria may also join, Izmailov said.

Saudi Crown Prince Will Visit Moscow

Crown Prince Abdullah will visit Russia this summer, the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Saudi Arabia announced May 8 at a joint press conference, following discussions which Foreign Minister Ivan Ivanov described as a "very constructive and substantive dialogue." The meeting at the level of foreign ministers appears to have advanced Russian-Saudi relations on several fronts. Ivanov said Russia is "profoundly satisfied with the level of relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia." Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal was equally warm, stressing the Kingdom's interest in strengthening and developing bilateral relations with Russia. Both mentioned the central importance of resolving the Middle East crisis, and the implementation of the road map for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Al Faisal emphasized that Russia and his nation shared "common principles" vis-à-vis the Iraqi problem, most particularly "our common striving to preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Iraq."

The press conference closed with the intriguing response given by al-Faisal, to a question on whether the discussion of stepped-up relations between the two countries also had a military aspect, now that U.S. troops have been evacuated from Saudi Arabia? "So far, I am not quite prepared to comment on this question, but if Mr. Minister has some forces that he would like to give to us, we would not object," al-Faisal replied, adding: "Russia's role in solving the problems of our region is important and desirable and necessary." No subject, he concluded, is ruled out at further negotiations and meetings.

The exact date of the Crown Prince's visit is to be worked out through diplomatic channels.

Russia-Ukraine Talks Take Up Natural Gas Supplies

The June 2002 initiative to ensure long-term supplies of Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine was on the agenda of talks between Presidents Vladmir Putin of Russia and Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine, in Yalta on May 1-2. As Putin said at a May 2 press conference there, the time is ripe for a "comprehensive Russian-European infrastructural cooperation, including Ukraine as an indispensable link" that handled 80% of all natural gas exports from Russia to Europe. "The trilateral gas consortium will start functioning as soon as the three sides are ready," Putin said. "The first round of trilateral talks will take place in Kiev already on May 7," to be followed by a second Kiev meeting towards the end of May.

"First of all, we [Russia, Germany and Ukraine] are to calculate the expenses for modernization of Ukraine's gas transit grid," Putin said. "If we succeed in gas transport, we'll complete the trilateral cooperation with oil and electricity transit across Ukraine."

Essential aspects of the strategic gas consortium could, if things work well, be ready at the time of the EU-Russia summit in St. Petersburg May 30-31, experts say. The consortium would have to an answer where the $15 billion will come from, required to restore and modernize the Ukraine's gas pipeline grid over the next ten years. When the tripartite agreement was signed in principle last June, German firms such as Ruhrgas hinted they might commit $2.5 billion to such a deal. In addition to basic repair of existing, older pipelines and pumping stations, what is urgently required is to increase the transfer capacity through larger pipe diameters, experts have pointed out.

Powell To Visit Russia After Mideast Trip

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to Russia towards the end of his May 9-16 tour of the Middle East and some European countries, the State Department announced Mary 4. In Russia, Powell will work on preparations for President Bush's trip there on the occasion of St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary at the end of May. Talks in Russia will include the latest U.S.-Russian arms treaty, which is to be ratified by the Russian legislature before the St. Petersburg celebration.

Russia and U.S. To Launch Joint Program for Mars Exploration

While NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe was in Moscow to welcome back the space station Expedition 6 crew, which returned to Earth on May 3 in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, he met with Russian Space Agency head Yuri Koptev, and, according to a spokesman from Rosaviakosmos, speaking to Interfax, the agency heads agreed to "begin joint exploration of Mars," using unmanned vehicles. "In addition, it was decided that Russia can take part in U.S. space tenders," Sergei Gorbunov stated.

This is an important concession by the Bush Administration, because for years, Russian space organizations have been under trade sanctions by the U.S. for supposedly exporting missile technology, violating nonproliferation rules. In addition, recently the U.S. has refused to exempt the Russian space agency from the prohibition of receiving funds from NASA under the Iran Nonproliferation Act. The money is needed to help pay for additional Russian vehicles to maintain the crew on the International Space Station while the Shuttle is grounded.

Russian and U.S. scientists began working on a joint Mars mission ten years ago, but in addition to the political roadblocks from the U.S. side, Russia was unable to finance its part of the project.

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