Visiting Session Of Davos Forum To Be Held In Moscow On October 29-30

A special visiting session of the Davos Economic Forum devoted to Russia is opening on Monday in Moscow. The Forum's session which has been called "A Meeting in Russia - 2001" will be held on October 29-30 in the Marriott Grand Hotel in Moscow. The decision on holding the second "Russian Davos Forum meeting" (the first such meeting took place in Moscow in 1998 and was also devoted to Russia) was made last July by the European session of the economic forum in Salsburg. The Forum will be attended by some 70 representatives of leading western industrial corporations and banks, and international financial institutions. Vice-President of the World Bank Johannes F. Linn, President of the EBRD Jean Lemierre and President of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab are expected to take the floor at the Forum. Some 350 participants of the Forum have been registered. Thierry Malleret, one of the organisers of the Moscow "Davos Forum", said that its participants "will focus on new, tendencies, future reforms and opportunities which will influence the conditions of doing business in Russia." Thierry Malleret considers the determination of ways of further progress in the economic situation in Russia as another major goal of the Forum. Among steps in this direction he called reforming of the customs service, taxation, corporate governance, as well as Russia's advance towards accession to the World Trade Organisation. In connection with the Forum the Russian special services are taking special security measures. According to the Public Relations Centre of the Federal Security Service of Russia, persons with regard to those the law enforcement bodies have information about their possible involvement in the terrorist activities, are being scrutinised and members of various extremist-oriented organisations are being checked. The organisers of this Forum state that the situation in the capital of Russia is under control. However, according to certain information, anti-globalization protesters have been arriving in Moscow from the USA and certain European countries for two weeks already. The law enforcement bodies do not rule out that rabid extremists can turn out among quite harmless environmentalists.

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