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8 Feb, 2008 04:25

The Media Mirror: what's in today's Russian newspapers?

Russia as a new threat to the U.S. A unique chance for Donald Tusk. Expecting a visit from Japan. 'Don’t come – don’t see' as a principle of international monitoring. And – bringing democracy to the West: coals to Newcastle or water

IZVESTIA writes that for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, our country has made it to the list of potential threats to the U.S.; this time not for its nuclear arsenal but for its increasing economic, financial and scientific might. The paper quotes Russian Senator Mikhail Margelov, “This isn’t extremely helpful to our cooperation against the real threats.”

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA says the visit to Moscow of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is a unique chance for the two countries to resume their friendship. Donald Tusk, a trained historian, intentionally disregards the 'history-based' Russia policy of his predecessors. The paper says, we should take notice of that.

KOMMERSANT has an article by the Itar-Tass bureau chief in Tokyo, Vasily Golovnin, who writes that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will pay a visit to Moscow in early May, before the presidential power handover. While the Prime Minister hopes to talk with Vladimir Putin on the territorial problem, continues Golovnin, the Russian leadership is extremely interested in the smooth passage of the G8 summit in Japan.

ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA dismisses the refusal of the OSCE observers to monitor the Presidential election in Russia with the headline: Don’t come – don’t see.

KOMMERSANT points at the lack of competition in the 2008 election as the main reason for the refusal. The paper says all the presidential candidates believe the refusal will not influence the legitimacy of the election in any way.

VREMYA NOVOSTEI writes it is obvious that during the talks both sides didn’t want to find consensus as much as to demonstrate their own positions and slam the door in one another’s face before the opponent did the same.

NOVAYA GAZETA writes that with the Russian non-governmental Institute of Democracy and Cooperation opening offices in New York and Paris, the West will be reacquainted with 'the Mother of Kuzma' introduced to it in the memorable UN speech by Nikita Khrushchev. The institute executives are quoted as saying they are going west to facilitate mutual understanding, to promote the Russian type of democracy and to monitor the human rights situation in the very nations that gave birth to this idea.

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