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Putin, other leaders to discuss priorities of UK G8 presidency

Russia also intends to choose matters regarding security, including world one, as a priority of its G8 presidency next year

LONDON, June 17 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began his working visit to Britain on Sunday, will arrive on Monday at Lough Erne resort to attend a G8 summit there. The Russian leader together with his colleagues is to discuss matters that have been chosen by the host country -- Britain -- as priorities and take up the baton of G8 presidency by inviting the leaders to next G8 summit, due to be held in Sochi, in 2014.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said, "Such themes as stimulation of world trade as one of the motive forces of global econoy, cooperation in the taxation spheres, the ensurance of greater transparency in the operation of pubic and private sectors have been defined as priorities of Britain's G8 presidency.

"The leaders are to have a detailed exchange of views on the state of affairs in the economies of G8 countries, the problems of and prospects for a post-crisis rehabilitation of the world economy," Ushakov added.

According to the presidential aide, "The leaders are to devote attention to tendencies towards the establishment of bilateral, regional and transregional Free Trade Areas, and discuss matters of current importance concerning interaction within the framework of the World Trade Organization".

"Ideas and proposals to be expressed may become subjects for a more substantive discussion at a G20 summit due to be held under Russia's presidency in St Peterrsburg in autumn this year," Ushakov believes.

The first plenary meeting, which will be held on Monday afternoon, will deal with the state of the world economy.

The second round of the leaders' consultations, whic is to be held later in the day in the format of a working luncheon, will be traditionally dedicated to international problems. "These are foreign policy and security matters: the situation in Syria, Libya, in the Middle East and North Africa, that around the DPRK, Iran, and Afghanistan," Ushakov said. "These themes have been agreed upon in advance and the leaders are prepared to hold an informal exchange of opinions about them," he added.

At the same time, the presidential aide did not rule it outthat "the Syria issue alone may eat up half of the dinner", in the sense that this acute problem will, most likely, domnate the upcoming discussion. "Britain suggested that the presidents of Russia and the United States be the first to speak on the problem and start a discussion on the subject, for they are the initiators of the covocation of an international conference on Syria, with the leaders of other countries to join in the discussion," he said. "The leaders of G8 countries are expected to compare their approaches to contents and and organizational matters connected with the preparation of such a conference," the presidential aide added.

On the second day of the summit, Britain is planning to devote a separate session of the leaders to counterterrorist interaction among G8 countries. "The threat of terrorism has assume a new dimension and acuity of late," Ushakov pointed out. "This was broght about, in particular by the Arab Spring events which bolstered up terrorist activities in the area of the Middle East and North Africa," he believes.

"Probability is high that G8 will not bypass matters regarding counteraction to the radicalization of public sentiments, including its interreligious and interethnic component, actions to combat incitement to terrorism, the inadmissibility of the use of media resources for terrorist purposes," the presidential aide said.

Russia also intends to choose matters regarding security, including world one, as a priority of its G8 presidency next year.

Putin said in one of his interviews, "A specific agend of our country's presidency is in the works; for the time being I can only say that the point will be a search for responses to new threats to security -- right up to one at global level."

Ushakov said, "Putin will inviete his colleagues to next G8 summit which will be held in Soch in summer 2014". "The period of the holding of the G8 sumit in Sochi has been practically fixed now and Putin will annnonce that at the meeting at Lough Erne," he added

The second plenary meeting on Tuesday "will be devoted to such subjects as trade, transparency, and taxation," Ushakov said. Yet another meeting will be held in the outreach format -- with the participation of the Heads of State and Government of the Invited Countries (Liberia, Libya, Mexico, Senegal, and Ethiopia) and the leaders of international organizations (African Union, European Union, World Bank, IMF, and OECD). At the concluding session on Tuesday the heads of delegations will sum up the results of the two-day work.

As a result of the summit, it is planned to adopt a Communique which will reflect G8 countries' coodinated positions on the main aspects of the sumit's work.