Andrey Sharry: Radio Liberty opens a new political season. "Face to face. The leader answers reporters." Guest of the Moscow Studio Radio Liberty - Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Union of Right Forces. Hello, Boris Efimovich. Are you ready to become president? Boris Nemtsov: Yes, I somehow did not think about it. I am ready to ensure that in 2003 our party took 100 seats in parliament. I am ready for the Union of Right Forces in 2004 to nominate its presidential candidate.

In Belarus, presidential elections are held today. According to the Central Election Commission, by noon, by local time, more than 40 percent of voters took part in them - taking into account early voting. The current President Alexander Lukashenko, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic Vladimir Goncharik and the leader of the liberal democratic party Sergey Gaidukevich apply for the post of head of state.

In Moscow, at the building of the Belarusian embassy, the public Russian organization "Revolutionary-Connection Association" conducted a picket today against the election of Alexander Lukashenko by the President of Belarus. " The co -chair of the association Boris Stomakhin told reporters that his supporters were opposed to the dictatorship of Lukashenko.

At least seven people were killed and several dozen - wounded today as a result of terrorist attacks in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. In the city of Nakharia in the north of Israel, a terrorist-self-killer blew up a bomb near the railway station, killing three Israelis and wounding more than seventy. The extremist group "Hamas" took responsibility. A few hours later, another terrorist-samobitan blew himself in a car at a busy intersection near the city of Natany.

At least four people were killed and more than 20 were wounded today as a result of a terrorist attack in the city of Nacharia in the north of Israel. According to the Israeli radio, the terrorist-self-killer blew up a bomb at the railway station. On the western coast of Jordan, two Israeli were killed this morning and three were injured. Palestinians fired at a minibus, which took teachers to the school of one of the Jewish settlements.

Pope John Pavel the Second expressed the hope that his upcoming visit to Armenia and Kazakhstan will contribute to an ecumenical dialogue. He performed on Sunday before the pilgrims gathered at the papal summer residence near Rome. According to the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the development of dialogue with other faiths is still a priority for him. The Roman pontiff will visit Armenia and Kazakhstan at the end of September.

US Secretary of Defense Donald Ramsfeld stated that it is “impossible to predict” whether negotiations with Russia on the issue of missile defense will end before the end of this year. In an interview with the Fox channel, Ramsfeld indicated that US President George Bush could decide on the exit from the software agreement from 1972, if negotiations with Russia will not lead to anything.

In Nizhny Novgorod, the largest sandwich in Russia has been prepared. The length of the sandwich, which was made on Saturday on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, was almost 12 meters, the width was almost one and a half. The organizers of the action hope that the Nizhny Novgorod sandwich will be included in the Guinness Book of Records.

South Korea called on Sunday the DPRK as soon as possible to resume negotiations with the United States. South Korean Foreign Minister Khan Saint Su said Pyongyang should respond to the US offer - to start a dialogue again, which was suspended after the administration of George Bush came to power. North Korea has not yet responded to this statement. On September 15, in Seoul - after a six -month break - negotiations between two Korean states at the level of ministers should resume.

In Berlin, the largest Jewish museum in Europe is opening today. The ceremony will be attended by President Johannes Rau, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other heads of Germany. The museum exposition covers the history of the Jewish people over the past two thousand years. Almost 4 thousand exhibits are exhibited - books, works of religious art, historical documents, household items. Before World War II, the Jewish Museum already existed in Berlin. It was closed by the Nazis in 1938.

In the west of Serbia, investigators removed 26 bodies from mass burial near Lake Perucetz on Sunday. According to local media reports, the remains allegedly belong to the Kosovo Albanians killed in 1999. This is the fifth mass burial discovered in Serbia after the fall of the regime of Slobodan Milosevich last year.

The NATO peacekeeping contingent should remain in Macedonia after the end of the collection of weapons among the Albanian rebels - the leadership of the European Union believes. At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Belgian city of Genval, one of the EU leaders, Javier Solan, said that the “security vacuum” in Macedonia should not be allowed. He was supported by Foreign Ministers of France and Germany - Yuber Vedin and Yoshka Fisher.

Tokyo is ready to apologize for the cruelty committed by Japanese troops during the Second World War, but is not going to catch compensation to the victims, said the Foreign Minister of Japan Makiko Tanaka. Tanaka made this statement on Saturday at San Francisco at the celebration of the fifty year of the US-Japanese Treaty signed in this city. San Francisky Treaty is a document that formally completed the war between Japan and the USA.

The Prime Minister of the State Council of the PRC Zhu Zhunji, who is on a visit to Russia, arrives today from St. Petersburg to Moscow. It is expected that he will negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yesterday in St. Petersburg, Zhu-Junzi met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. At the end of the negotiations, seven documents on economic cooperation were signed. In particular, the agreement on the supply of Russian civil aircraft to China.

The leader of the coalition opposing the Taliban - Ahmad -Shah Masud - was wounded in northern Afghanistan as a result of undermining on a mine of its car. The bodyguard of Masuda died. This was announced by a representative of Masud in Paris. According to him, Masud was injured in the leg and his life is out of danger. Ahmad-Shah Masud continues the armed struggle with the Taliban forces, which control most of Afghanistan.