State Duma To Convene For Session On Combating Terrorism

The timing for a close-door State Duma session to debate the issue of combating terrorism is due to be set within the next 2-3 weeks, Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev said after the Tuesday session of the State Duma Council. According to Seleznev, the Duma Council has instructed the Duma's Security Committee to draw up the agenda for the corresponding State Duma session and discuss it with government officials. The issue of holding the session was recently raised by communist deputies after the terrorist act in Vladikavkaz (capital of Northern Ossetia), which entailed huge casualties, while the perpetrator fled. The deputies emphasized that fight against terrorism was becoming a pivotal issue and suggested that Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov be invited to the session. According to Seleznev, the Duma could also discuss the issues of Russia's biological and nuclear security. In particular, the deputies proposed to hold a close-door session devoted to the country's biological security, he emphasized.