Kremlin hopes the Chisinau CIS summit will raise efficiency of CIS decisions - 7 October, 2002

Sources in the Kremlin reported that at the meeting in Chisinau, the Council of the heads of state of the CIS will discuss further improvement of the efficiency of the CIS bodies and optimization of their structure.

Moscow believes that the "evolutionary improvement" of the CIS structure must be carried out "in the context of a concentration of efforts and resources in the priority directions of multi-lateral cooperation." "This approach finds support among many member-states," said the source.

According to the source, it is at the same time important to concentrate efforts and resources on such directions of cooperation as struggle against terrorism and extremism, drug-trafficking, contraband of weapons, and crime.

The CIS summit is expected to take steps to raise the efficiency of decisions taken within the CIS framework.

In particular, noted the source, among the measures provided for is introduction of stricter control on the part of the Council of heads of government, the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Economic Council of the Commonwealth of the fulfilment of the decisions taken, more clear-cut delimitation of powers between the leading bodies of CIS, expansion of powers of the Council of permanent representatives of the member-states under the CIS bodies, reduction of personnel of various CIS bodies financed from the CIS common budget.

"The process of improving the activity of the CIS bodies will not be limited to the adoption of decisions at the Chisinau summit. It will require much hard work," noted the RIA Novosti's interlocutor.

The Kremlin believes that the forthcoming meeting of the Council of CIS heads of state will become an important landmark in the commonwealth's life. Its participants are expected to discuss and compare positions on such issues as the role of CIS in ensuring regional and international security in the light of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan and the events around Iraq, and further improvement of multi-lateral cooperation between the member-states, noted the source.

The CIS summit is to endorse a number of important documents, including the Inter-state program for joint crime-fighting measures for the years 2003-2004, the concept of cooperation in countering illegal turnover of narcotic means, psychoactive drugs and precursors, the Program of developing border cooperation, to sign the Decision on the creation of a regional branch of the CIS countries anti-terrorist centre in Central Asia. These documents provide for joint coordinated steps in countering undesired phenomena that pose a threat to the security of the member-states of the Commonwealth as a whole.

Noting that the CIS member-states have managed to make headway in the further formation of the Commonwealth's contractual-legal base in the humanitarian sphere, the RIA Novosti's interlocutor said that at the Chisinau meeting it is planned to discuss a number of draft agreements regulating cooperation in the sphere of education and culture.

Apart from that during the meeting of the Council of CIS heads of state is planning to discuss the preparations for and celebration of the 60th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The matter concerns the development of national programs of anniversary events, said the Kremlin source.