Russia and EU "trio" to meet in Moscow and discuss struggle against international terrorism

The questions of countering international terrorism, as well as of implementing the plan of joint actions of the EU and Russia to combat organised crime will be in the centre of attention at the meeting between Ministers of Justice and of the Interior of Russia and the European Union's "trio" (Denmark, Greece and the European Commission), which will be held in Moscow on Tuesday. As the Justice Ministry officials said, besides that, cooperation in the struggle against narcobusiness, money laundering and illegal trafficking of means of auto transport will also be discussed. The participants in the talks will also consider the questions of the judicial reform in Russia and the guidelines of cooperation in the law-enforcement sphere within the bounds of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

It is expected that Minister of Justice of Russia Yuri Chaika and Minister of the Interior Boris Gryzlov will participate in the talks. Minister of Justice Lene Espersen will take party in the meeting on the part of Denmark which is now the chairman of the European Union. Greece which will become EU chairman from January 2003 will be represented by Minister of Public Works Mikhalis Christokhoidis. Representative of the European Commission Antonio Vittorino will represent it at the talks. As it is expected, department head with Europol Willy Bruggemans and Ambassadors of Denmark and Greece to Russia Lars Vissing and Dimitrios Paraskevopoulos will take part in the meeting.

As RIA Novosti has learnt, the question of extradition of the emissary of head of the Chechen separatists Aslan Maskhadov, Akhmed Zakayev, to Russia will also be touched upon in the course of the meeting. But the Minister of Justice of Denmark stated that this question would not be raised in the course of the talks.

Zakayev was detained by police of Copenhagen on October 30. At that time the court ruled that he stay in custody till November 12. The information provided by the Russian authorities to the Danish law-enforcement bodies served as the grounds for the detention. He is charged under three articles - "armed mutiny", "organisation of an illegal armed formation", and "infringement on law enforcers' life".