Washington benefits from Iran's footprint Yesterday, the special services of Azerbaijan reported on the neutralization of dangerous putschists. Through the efforts of the Ministry of National Security (MNS), a group of 16 individuals was neutralized. The head of the public relations center of the Ministry of National Security, Arif Babayev, told Vremya Novostey that arrest was chosen as a preventive measure against 15 people, and another was detained as a suspicious person.

On Sunday, early parliamentary elections will be held in Serbia - the first since the state community of Serbia and Montenegro collapsed in 2006. Now voters will have to determine the political course of the independent Serbian state, now free from all its former brothers in federal Yugoslavia. There is no clear leader in the bitter battle between the ruling coalition of pro-Western democratic parties and nationalist radicals.

Alexander Lukashenko is trying to cooperate with Europe “I hope that one day in the future Belarus will also join the Council of Europe, but this requires concrete positive steps,” said the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE), Rene van der Linden, in Minsk yesterday.

Russia returns ambassador to Georgia Yesterday, Moscow effectively demonstrated to the international community, concerned about the Russian-Georgian confrontation, its readiness to normalize relations with Tbilisi. During a personal meeting, President Vladimir Putin instructed the ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who was recalled in September 2006, to return to Tbilisi and continue his work. Due to the rapid escalation of political differences last fall, Mr.

Kyiv offers Moscow a maritime compromise Ukraine is ready for compromises with Russia if Moscow recognizes the state character of the current Russian-Ukrainian border in the Kerch Strait . This was stated by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. The head of state is confident that in 2007 one of the key points in the action plan of the Putin-Yushchenko commission will be the Kerch issue.

Zatoka remains in Turkmen captivity The fate of a Russian citizen , environmentalist Andrei Zatoka , arrested on December 17 in Turkmenistan, attracted the attention of the international community. According to VN, a number of well-known foreign environmental and human rights organizations are urgently creating an international committee in defense of Andrei Zatoka.

Yesterday, the Constitutional Court (CC) of Ukraine began to consider the appeal of 47 deputies regarding the fate of the country's fundamental law. People's representatives doubt the legality of the decision of the parliamentary majority, which prohibited the judges of the Constitutional Court from reviewing amendments to the constitution.

The US President agreed with Congress and human rights activists After a series of scandals, the White House has finally laid down a legal basis for electronic surveillance in the United States of citizens of the country and foreigners suspected of terrorism. Justice Minister Alberto Gonzalez notified the Senate that surveillance would now only be carried out with the permission of a special foreign intelligence surveillance court.

Kyrgyzstan is worried again Yesterday the Kyrgyz parliament refused to approve the acting Prime Minister Felix Kulov as head of government. The results of the vote on the candidacy of Kulov, presented by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, turned out to be very disappointing for him. With the required majority of 38 votes, only 23 deputies of the 75-seat parliament were in favor, 39 were against. Mr. Kulov did not find this outcome a big surprise.