MOSCOW, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave an interview to Russia Today, the country's first 24-hour English-language news channel that hit airwaves on Saturday at 1 p.m. GMT.
Lavrov told the TV channel that Russia intended to invite to the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg in 2006 a number of countries which are not members of the G8, as well as certain international organizations.
"Each presidency has its own agenda and invites countries who can contribute most to the agenda items being discussed. We are now considering the list of what is called in the G8 jargon 'outreach', meaning countries and organizations apart from direct G8 participants.
"I can only tell you at this stage that there would be participants from other countries and organizations, but the specific list of those is still being consulted with our partners," he said.
The Russian foreign minister said he was convinced that Russia would join the World Trade Organization on just terms.
"I try to be a realist. And being a realist means in this particular case understanding that Russia must join WTO. This is, certainly, the strategic course of development of the world trade and world economy I would say.
"And unless you are in this mainstream, you would not have advantages to develop your own national economy in the sector which determines the progress in today's world.
"But at the same time while I am convinced that we must join WTO, I am also convinced that we must join on the terms and conditions which would be nondiscriminatory to Russian economy in general and to those sectors of Russian economy which still might require for considerable period of time, but not indefinitely the protection from the state," Lavrov said.
The minister said that Russia needed to complete bilateral negotiations with its partners to finally join the WTO.
"Out of 58 countries we have 6 or 8 with whom bilateral negotiations have not been completed, some of them insist on demands to be included in bilateral agreements which go beyond the normal standard WTO practices.
"And some of the demands are not included in the standard list of WTO conditions and terms. This is, in particular, related to sectors like aviation industry in Russia, financial sector, banking in particular.
"The conditions on which foreign banks could open up branches in the Russian Federation and also agriculture, which is one of the most sensitive subjects. We do want to support our agriculture.
"And the scale of our support which is being planned for the next few years is dozens of times less than the support provided by some of the leading WTO members to their own agricultural sector. So we do not want this double standard to be applied to us. And we want to have a fair deal to join WTO. And I am sure that eventually our partners would accept a fair deal," Lavrov told Russia Today.
Sergei Lavrov said Russia acknowledged the United States' and Europe's interests in the Commonwealth of Independent States, but insisted that the methods they use be legal and transparent.
"Certainly, the involvement of non-regional players, to put it this way, is becoming more visible," he said.
Asked whether this disturbed Russia, Lavrov said: "Yes and no. It is not disturbing since we do understand the natural legitimate interest of countries like the United States, Western Europeans, Europeans in general, the legitimate interest in this region."
Lavrov admitted that the Central Asian and Caucasian region still demanded close attention from the viewpoint of the threats of terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime.
"To a very large extent all these threats relate to the unsettled situation in Afghanistan. So it is in the interest of all these countries to stabilize the situation there and to be present there for this purpose, because all these threats: terrorism, drugs, crime in general - they are not limited to Afghanistan or to the neighboring areas, they are reproduced through various roots in Europe and in the United States," the minister said.
He said all these threats were of a global nature.
"So we understand the legitimate interest of all other countries to stabilize this region and to be present there for this purpose. We also understand the legitimate interest, for example, in having access to energy resources with which this region [is] quite rich.
"What we want is to see that the means to promote those interests, the methods with which those countries are assuring their presence in this region are also legitimate and transparent, and that these methods do not infringe on Russia's legitimate interest in this region," Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister said the countries harboring terrorists should make their legislation comply with UN Security Council resolutions.
"The resolution of the [UN] Security Council which criminalized incitement for terror is filling a very important gap in counter terrorist legislation internationally and it does oblige all countries including the countries where these people find refuge to bring their legislation in line with the Security Council demands," Lavrov said.
The foreign minister said the resolution obliged mass media and the public not to give floor to people who incite others to terror.
"This is quite a topical thing these days given the fact that Russia is insisting on extradition of certain people like Ahmad Zakayev, for example, who is living in London and who is constantly on TV screens calling for repetition of terrorist attacks against Russia and praising things like the attack on Nalchik, for example," he said.
"We still insist on the need to fight terrorism with the single standard not from the point of double standards. Unfortunately we are not yet there. And we believe that the latest terrorist attacks in various parts of the world would send the messages to all the capitals where the double standards are still appearing," Lavrov said.
Lavrov spoke against politicizing the Iranian nuclear program issue.
"We would be very strongly opposed to any attempts to politicize this issue and to be guided by anything except the need to keep non-proliferation regime intact," he said.
The minister said Iran was presently cooperating with International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, and added the IAEA Board of Governors would prepare a regular report on the issue in two-three months.
Lavrov dismissed accusations that any Russian citizens were involved in violating nuclear control regulations. "All these facts were investigated. I have never seen anything of that sort in the last few years," he said.
Lavrov said nuclear cooperation with Iran at an intergovernmental level was limited to building the Bushehr nuclear power plant. "This is done in a fully transparent manner under permanent monitoring of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors," the minister emphasized.
Lavrov said he hoped Russian sailors arrested in Nigeria would be released by the end of 2005.
Asked what worried him most shortly before New Year celebrations, Lavrov told Russia Today: "I hope that the Russian sailors in Algeria would be released by the end of the year."
The sailors, all crewmembers of the Greek-owned African Pride that was found carrying allegedly stolen oil 31 miles off Nigeria's coast in October 2003, were imprisoned in the country for nearly two years before being released on bail in September. Delays in the case have strained diplomatic relations between Russia and Nigeria. The next court hearing is due December 14.
Speaking about possible problems expected in 2006, Lavrov said: "As for the main concern for 2006, I prefer not to think about it... We have to be ready for anything, but always think about the interests of Russia and of how these interests could be promoted in a way which builds international consensus."
The Russian foreign minister said he was convinced that Russia Today would be a success overseas.
"I do believe that giving the huge interest to everything related to Russia, be it culture, history, modern days developments, the information demand for Russian news, for Russian views of the world affairs, and of coverage of what is going on in Russia is going to be huge," Lavrov told the channel.
"And I think that the initiative to create this channel is a welcome one and will certainly get a lot of viewers around the globe," the minister concluded.
