US Secretary Of State Colin Powell To Be Received By President Of Russia Vladimir Putin In Kremlin

US Secretary of State Colin Powell who arrived in Moscow the day before will be received in the Kremlin by president of Russia Vladimir Putin and hold talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov. As Igor Ivanov said earlier, the main objective of the visit of the State Secretary is to determine the questions on which it is necessary for Russia and the USA to step up the negotiating process. There are many questions in which interaction must switch from general consultations over to concrete, practical moves, he stated. It is intended to discuss questions of strategic stability and strategic offensive arms and to continue the consultations on ABM, on regional issues, and on other aspects of bilateral relations with a view to embodying all the political directions, which were worked out by the presidents of the two countries, in concrete deeds. Furthermore, as Igor Ivanov said, during Colin Powell's meetings in Moscow a plan of preparation for a visit by US president George Bush to Russia, scheduled for the middle of next year, will be considered. As US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow said in an interview with RIA Novosti, further prospects for settling the situation in Afghanistan, in particular, in connection with the success registered at the inter-Afghan conference in Bonn on forming a transitional government of Afghanistan will figure prominently at Powell's talks with the Russian leadership. The situation in the Middle East which has dramatically aggravated in the past few days will be in the centre of Colin Powell's meetings in Moscow. As the US Ambassador said, it is not supposed to sign any documents during the Moscow visit of Colin Powell.