SOURCE: The St. Petersburg Times DATE: Issue #1033 (99), Tuesday, December 28, 2004 ************************************************************************** TITLE: Ukraine Loser To Fight On PUBLISHER: Staff Writer TEXT: KIEV - Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych will put up a symbolic legal fight against Viktor Yushchenko's victory and then turn his attention to becoming an opposition leader, Yanukovych's campaign director, Taras Chernovil, said in an interview Tuesday. Chernovil's remarks appeared to put the final nail in the coffin of Yanukovych's tumultuous candidacy and signaled that Yanukovych has abandoned plans to counter the Orange Revolution with a blue-and-white revolution of his own that could have split the country. Yushchenko won 51.99 percent in Sunday's repeat election compared to Yanukovych's 44.19 percent - a difference of about 2.3 million votes, according to a preliminary final tally of ballots Tuesday. But Yanukovych will not concede defeat and challenge Yushchenko's victory in the Supreme Court - even though he is convinced that the lawsuit will fail, Chernovil said. Yanukovych hopes that going through the legal motions will allow him to don the opposition mantle now worn by his opponent and to emerge as a major opposition force in Ukrainian politics, he said. "We believe that we won the election, and on a political level we will never recognize that he won the election," Chernovil said. "We understand nothing will happen" by filing the suit, he said. "We don't see a positive result. I don't think there will be a fourth round of elections." Chernovil accused the Supreme Court of being under the control of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, once Yanukovych's political patron. Chernovil said Kuchma now supports Yushchenko. What is important now, Chernovil said, is establishing "political proof" that Yushchenko stole the election. Chernovil also said the masses of Yanukovych supporters - long-rumored to be poised to flood Kiev from Yanukovych's stronghold regions in eastern and southern Ukraine - were not coming after all. "We decided not to take these steps," he said. Previously, Yanukovych's campaign had maintained that it did not want its supporters in Kiev for fear of violence. "There will be no civil war," Chernovil said. Yushchenko has already declared victory in Sunday's elections, which were a repeat of a Nov. 21 runoff that the Supreme Court annulled due to widespread fraud. Yanukovych was declared the winner of that round. Yanukovych, who took a monthlong break from his job as prime minister to campaign, returned to work Tuesday. He vowed on Monday night to press on in his fight to overturn the results of Sunday's election. "I will never recognize this defeat because there were violations of the constitution and of human rights in our country," he told reporters. The Council of Europe, Europe's leading human rights watchdog, on Tuesday urged Yanukovych to accept defeat. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder congratulated Yushchenko and wished him "success and luck." France and Norway praised the election as an important step toward democracy and greater cooperation with Europe. On Wednesday afternoon, thousands of orange-clad opposition supporters continued to walk the streets of Kiev. Some said they still expected Yanukovych's supporters to arrive in large numbers. But others said they did not believe it would happen. "They're not well-enough organized. They're not motivated," said Nikolai Shvornikov, a young man from Ternopil in western Ukraine. "They live behind an informational blockade. They think say we're getting paid to be here and that we're on drugs." Widespread apathy about the election results has settled over eastern and southern Ukraine, which voted largely for Yanukovych. Outside of Chernovil's office, about a dozen mostly elderly people appeared to be about the only Yanukovych supporters to have taken to the street in Kiev. They insisted that Yushchenko had cheated, that Yanukovych would become president and that thousands of his supporters would still descend on Kiev. Some said they expected a civil war. "We kiss the screen when Viktor Fyodorivych [Yanukovych] appears on television," said Lyudmila Golon, a retired librarian and Kiev resident. "He won the last round, and he won this one, too. Yushchenko stole the election. He is violating human rights." n Ukraine's transport minister and one of the country's most prominent businessmen Heorhiy Kyrpa has been found dead at his home outside Kiev, Reuters reported a government source saying. The television station 5 Kanal reported a gun was found near the body. It was not clear whether Kyrpa killed himself or was murdered, the government source told Reuters. Kyrpa was named transport minister in July as part of an overhaul by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma. Kyrpa has had close ties to Kuchma and at one time was mentioned as a possible candidate in the presidential election. TITLE: City Children's Civil-War Odyssey Rediscovered PUBLISHER: Staff Writer TEXT: Riley Allen, editor of Hawaiian newspaper The Honolulu Star-Bulletin never married and never had children, but he always used to say that he had "hundreds of kids in Russia." The mystery of that remark did not go with him to the grave when he died in 1965. After then-Soviet sailor Vladimir Kuperman discovered by chance in 1978 what Allen referred to - a round-the-world journey by children from Petrograd, as St. Petersburg was then known - his mind has never been at rest. "I really think it is one of the most astonishing stories of the 20th century," Kuperman, whose penname is Vladimir Lipovetsky, said at a presentation of his Russian-language book "The Unbelievable Story or The Children's Ark," in St. Petersburg this month. The story, still largely unknown in Russia, tells the three-year adventures of 800 city children, who were rescued from Siberia by plucky Americans who brought them home. In the spring of 1918, soon after the 1917 October Revolution, Russia was in the middle of Civil War between the Whites and Reds. Terrible hunger raged in Petrograd, which was surrounded by the armies of White generals Pyotr Krasnov and Nikolai Yudenich. The Bolshevik authorities decided to send thousands of Petrograd children south for the summer - to the Rostov and Krasnodar regions, where there was more food. Most children left in May and came back in August. However, the fate of about 800 children who were sent east of the Ural Mountains took a strange twist. By the time they were to come home the troops of White general Alexander Kolchak blocked the railway in Siberia, and the children aged six to 15 and their teachers couldn't get home. At the same time food shortages spread to Siberia. When American Red Cross volunteers working in Siberia heard about the plight of the children, they decided to help them. Allen, who had arrived in Russia as a reporter, headed the team. The Americans visited several towns where the children had taken shelter to escape getting caught up in the fighting. They tried to organize for the children to get home by train. But even the clout of the Red Cross was insufficient to get them safe passage. Then Allen and his team came up with a radical decision - to take the children home by going away from Petrograd, that is heading east not west - to put it simply: taking them round the world. Kuperman said he learned about the children's odyssey by chance. When his ship called at Seattle he read a front-page story in The Seattle Times newspaper about the murder of an aged city resident, Burl Bramhall and his wife, by their psychiatrically ill neighbor. "Bramhall was a very respected man, who had saved 800 Russian children from St. Petersburg," the newspaper said. "That scrap of information caught my eye," Kuperman said. "But at that moment I still could not imagine that the story would become the passion my life." Kuperman, who then lived in the Russian Far East, tried to track down any surviving children. The search was successful and he met several of the children, by then already elderly, who told him the incredible story of their long journey home. They described making their way through Siberia - passing the city of Omsk and Lake Baikal, then taking the East-Chinese railroad through the Chinese city of Harbin and Manchuria to Vladivostok. "For a while, the children lived on Russky Island in the Far East," Kuperman said. "Then Allen and his companions hired a Japanese coal ship, fitted out a cafeteria and a hospital, and went sailing east." The travelers stopped at the Japanese island of Hokkaido to take on food and water before their one-month voyage across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco. From there the travelers sailed to New York through the Panama Canal. "It was there in New York City that the children and their rescuers were hailed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and Russian immigrants," Kuperman said. Surprisingly, almost all children survived the trip, but there were still a few casualties to diseases or accidents. For instance, when in the United States one boy asked a soldier to let him look at the soldier's gun, the boy accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself dead. "There were romances, too," Kuperman said, without elaborating. After some rest in New York, the travelers continued their journey across the Atlantic Ocean to France, including a visit to Paris. They then traveled through the North Sea and the Baltic to Helsinki by ship. All together, these voyages took them four months. "From Helsinki, the children were taken to Russia in small groups across the Sestra river [then the Finnish border], and then by train to Petrograd," he said. Kuperman said he was surprised that such an amazing story is unknown in Russia. However, when he talked to survivors of that journey he understood that Soviet purges and the Iron Curtain had indicated to the children and their parents that it was dangerous to speak of their experience of being saved by Americans. "Whenever they filled out official forms, they were afraid to mention that they had ever been abroad," he said. In many cases, when he started his search the people who had been children in 1918 had died, and he could find only their descendants. But those who in had taken part in the journey had been too afraid to reveal what had happened, even to their own children. The daughter of one of the girls, who was on the historic trip, said that her mother never told her about it. However, she used to tell her "fairy tales about some children's travel around the world." "That woman told me she was always certain it was just a story and could never imagine such a thing had actually happened to her mother," he said. Kuperman still found many people who had taken part in the journey in the 1980s, talked to them, wrote down their accounts, and filmed the interviews. But today there are no survivors, he said. In 2001, Los Angeles film student Alex Ostroff filmed a documentary called "The Children's Ark" based on Kuperman's interviews, Allen's newspaper The Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper reported. Ostroff was unable to work out why Allen, who spent all his adult life apart from the three years spent with Russian children at the paper, tore himself from the good life in Hawaii to endure hardship and danger in faraway Siberia. There were indications that he fell in love with a Russian woman during the adventure, but she died of meningitis, he said. Bramhall had revisited Russia once to look for the children but couldn't find them, Kuperman said. "He then walked along Nevsky Prospekt looking at the faces of passers-by and hoping to maybe recognize one, but he failed," he said. Kuperman said he decided to write a book about the adventures of the Russian children and their American rescuers because he "could not keep this story only in his head anymore." "I want St. Petersburg to know about it," he said, adding that only 250 copies of the book have been published at his own expense and that he wants to have more copies published, and a movie made of the story. With contemporary questions about America's intentions around the world and in Russia, he wants people to know that "there were hundreds of examples of great help coming from American people," he said. TITLE: Political Forecasts for 2005 Are Divided PUBLISHER: Staff Writer TEXT: St. Petersburg politicians and human rights advocates are divided in their forecasts for the city's political landscape in 2005, simultaneously predicting the rise or fall of Governor Valentina Matviyenko's popularity, complications for the Northwest region over the cash-for-privileges reform and a revival of liberal-democratic fortunes. Human rights advocates, most of whom found themselves driven out of the public eye as the Kremlin sought to monopolize the main sources of information to show itself in a positive light, said they hope that they will have a greater presence in 2005. Already there are signs of growing resistance to official policies, inspired by local non-governmental organizations. Yuly Rybakov, a former independent liberal State Duma lawmaker, this year registered his Anti-Fascist Center in the city. "There are roundtables and meetings organized by public organizations in the city that are looking for a way to express themselves and to unite with each other," Rybakov said in a telephone interview. "We're expecting to create a [democratic] union for the whole country," he said. "This is urgently needed to rescue the country from former security service officials, the authorities and the thefts that are flourishing these days." The liberal wing of St. Petersburg parliament expects that City Hall will face difficulties placating the public after so-called privileges and discounts - including pensioners' free use of public transport - are replaced by their cash payouts. The liberals say the cash offered in compensation will leave the beneficiaries sorely out of pocket. "I think Matviyenko's rating will fall next year because of the public's reaction against the reform of privileges," said Boris Vishnevsky, a member of Yabloko faction at the Legislative Assembly. "The United Russia party will become ever more bureaucratic and will lose its popularity for the same reason as Matviyenko. In light of this, I expect that positions of democrats will strengthen. "Everything else will carry on the way it is now," Vishnevksy said. "The tariffs would be keep going up, we'll see more in-fill construction projects and at the same time TV will portray Matviyenko as doing a good job and present [President Vladimir] Putin like he is a shadow of God." Yury Vdovin, co-chairman of local human rights organization Citizen's Watch, said he has already noticed some signs of resistance to official policy in the regions, and these can be expected to spread to St. Petersburg, he said. "The authorities would look for ways to suppress the influence of non-governmental organizations that are not controlled, but in response such organizations will look for options to consolidate to resist such moves," Vdovin said. As an example, the human rights advocate pointed to a case in the Altai republic, when journalists in the regional capital Barnaul publicly criticized a campaign allegedly organized by the Kremlin against independent State Duma lawmaker Vladimir Ryzhkov. Journalists at the leading regional media outlets said they had been threatened by people who introduced themselves by saying they were fulfilling orders of the presidential administration to organize a flow of information to discredit Ryzhkov. "For me, this is the first bud [of public resistance], which, I hope, will not go unnoticed in the national journalistic community," Vdovin said. Representatives of the pro-Kremlin United Russia faction say they have a sense of danger for the government coming from regions. Vladimir Yeryomenko, a United Russia faction lawmaker, said the Kremlin will keep following its policy of centralizing authority to counter possible social turmoil arising from the population's dissatisfaction with social reforms. As a sign of this, Yeryomenko said a recent meeting of Northwest region legislators attended by deputies from the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Karelia and Pskov regions showed there is support at the regional level for regional governments to stop paying customs duties and other taxes to the federal budget so that they can provide financial assistance for needy citizens. As a sign of the Kremlin's attempts to bolster its power in the region, the Prosecutor General's Office last month called on the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly to remove disparities with the federal legislation from the City Charter, which is like a constitution for the city. The office demanded that lawmakers withdraw the charter's regulations saying that deputies have a right to "make decisions" apart from passing laws and that the city is allowed to have "non-budgetary and hard currency financial reserves." Also in November, the office demanded that deputies amend the charter's regulations on the composition of the Legislative Assembly, which, according to the Kremlin's request should have 50 deputies elected from districts and another 50 elected from party lists. City Prosecutor Sergei Zaitsev threatened that the Legislative Assembly could be disbanded if it fails to introduce the amendments soon enough. Speaker Vadim Tyulpanov promised the changes will be passed in the first half of the next year. But some form of devolution appeals to Matviyenko, who said last week that St. Petersburg would fare better if has a special economic status within the Russia. "St. Petersburg could become Russia's Hong Kong, a free economic zone with a special status," weekly Argumenty i Fakty quoted her saying in an interview. "The state will come to this realization sooner or later." "St. Petersburg needs decisions to break through. In this case, the city would be able to earn more and invest several times what it does now to save its cultural heritage," she said. Vatanyar Yagya, a member of Our City faction in the Legislative Assembly, said Mativyenko has no reason to fear that her rating will drop, when next year's 60th anniversary celebrations of the defeat of Germany in World War II are taken into account. "I think Matviyenko's rating will rise because many things that she began this year will start taking effect in 2005," Yagya said. "Her popularity will rise after the city celebrates the 60th anniversary of Russian people's victory in the war and besides a certain effect would be related to expectations in the city budget for 2006." TITLE: Presidential Envoys To Suggest Leaders PUBLISHER: The Associated Press TEXT: MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin on Monday set rules for naming governors of the country's 89 administrative regions after pushing through a law that abolished their direct election amid a continuing consolidation of power by the Kremlin. The decree signed by Putin gives the presidential chief-of-staff the task of drawing up and submitting lists of gubernatorial candidates to the president. Presidential envoys to the seven federal districts will compile names of candidates and pass them to the Kremlin. The nomination process will consider a candidate's image, business reputation and record as a civil servant or public figure, the decree said. Putin announced sweeping electoral reforms shortly after the September hostage-taking at a school in southern Russia that left more than 330 people dead. He said the reforms would strengthen federal authority to avert future attacks and dismissed warnings that the moves would push Russia back toward its authoritarian past. Parliament quickly approved Putin's bill to abolish gubernatorial elections. Some local governors have criticized the electoral reforms. In response, Putin has promised to grant them more say over drafting the federal budget and to give regions more economic independence. The United States has also criticized the changes, causing Putin to bristle. Further irritated by differences over Ukraine's presidential elections, Putin has accused the West in general and the United States in particular of trying to narrow Russia's sway in the ex-Soviet republics. Nevertheless, Putin last week said the United States and Russia remain partners. In follow-up comments, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that he expects U.S.-Russian ties to improve and called for stronger cooperation on global security issues, according to an interview released by ITAR-Tass. Russia and the United States are "allies in countering terrorism and the threats associated with it,'' he said. "At the level of our leaders, there is full awareness that we must be together by all means in the struggle against this enemy.'' However, Lavrov also said Washington should not apply "double standards'' in its identification of terrorists and urged the United States to be more open about its military presence near Russian borders. Russia has cast the six-year-old war in Chechnya as a battle against international terrorism and bristled at Western calls for peace talks with rebels. It has also lashed out at Washington and London for giving asylum to Chechen rebel leaders. Lavrov called on the United States to be upfront about the possible redeployment of its forces closer to Russia's borders. "The most important issue is strategic stability as a whole, especially as NATO is enlarging and the U.S. military presence abroad is being reconfigured,'' Lavrov said. "We need clarity in our relations with the Americans because our country's security depends on it.'' TITLE: New Holiday Plan Approved PUBLISHER: The Associated Press TEXT: MOSCOW - The Federation Council on Monday passed legislation abolishing several state holidays, including the anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and extending the New Year holiday. The Federation Council, which largely acts as a rubber-stamp body for the Kremlin, voted 123-9 to back the bill, which reduces the number of state holidays from nine to eight and scraps the most sacred Soviet-era holiday - the October Revolution. On Nov. 7, 1917, Bolsheviks seized the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in what marked the beginning of more than 70 years of Communist rule. The date was Oct, 25 according to the Julian calendar then in use and the event was called the October revolution. After the 1991 Soviet collapse, the holiday was renamed the Day of Reconciliation and Accord. Communists and other hard-liners continue to mark the day, with rallies and protests under hammer-and-sickle banners, although they are no longer allowed to demonstrate in Red Square. The bill replaces the Nov. 7 commemoration with a new state holiday, National Unity Day, to be celebrated on Nov. 4. The new holiday will mark the liberation of part of Moscow from Polish interventionists in 1612. The bill also extends New Year celebrations from January 1-2 to January 1-5 and scraps the Dec. 12 Constitution Day, since it echoes a similar holiday on June 12 - the Day of Russia. TITLE: Butov in Court PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: An arrest warrant issued for Nenets governor Vladimir Butov was annulled Monday after Butov appeared in St. Petersburg's Petrogradsky court where he faces charges of beating a traffic officer who stopped Butov's car in the city in 2003. The warrant was issued Thursday after Butov failed to appear. His explanation that he had bought an airplane ticket that would have allowed him to appear, but bad weather meant the plane did not fly, was accepted. Butov is seeking a third term on Jan. 23 and his right to run is also being challenged in the Nenets republic. Commentators have linked his legal difficulties to the Kremlin wanting to prevent him running again. TITLE: IN BRIEF TEXT: Tsunami Kills Russian ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - One Russian died as a result of the tsunami hitting the Thai Island of Phuket, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday. "The victim's name is Oksana, and she comes from Moscow," the agency quoted Irina Borisyuk, press secretary at the Russian embassy in Thailand, as saying. Alexander Yakovenko, an official representative of the Foreign Ministry, said more casualties are likely. The Associated Press reported Monday that 120 Russians were still missing. Music Hall Boss Fired ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - Music Hall director Angela Khachaturyan was dismissed from her job by the city's culture committee, web site Fontanka.ru reported Friday. Khachaturyan lost her job for "severe mismanagement and failing to make efficient and appropriate use of budget funding in 2004," it quoted the committee as saying. Andrei Platunov, former head of the committee's theater department, replaced her on Friday. Khachaturyan's name frequently appeared in the media in connection with scandal surrounding cancellation of the St. Petersburg season of musical Nord-Ost. She refused to host the show, saying the hall was too run down. Nord-Ost's producers are suing the hall over the cancellation. Starovoitova Probe ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - The Prosecutor General's Office has prolonged the investigation of the murder of State Duma Deputy Galina Starovoitova in November 1998, until June 20, 2005, Interfax reported. On Friday, Pavel Stekhnovsky, a key suspect in the investigation was extradited from Belgium under a federal security warrant. The same day he was charged with the assassination of a state official and illegal possession of guns. Media CEO Appointed ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - Yury Voronenkov has been appointed chief executive of the city media holding Baltiiskaya Media Gruppa, Interfax reported. Oleg Rudnov, the holding's founder and general director of Radio Baltika, told Interfax the previous executive Sergei Sitnikov left his post owing to family circumstances. Voronenkov has managed newspaper Pension Money and is co-chairman of League of Business Press of the Russian Union of Journalists. The holding includes Radio Baltika, BIA news agency, ART advertising agency and papers Smena, Nevskoye Vremya and Vecherneye Vremya. New Holland Blaze ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - Thursday night's fire at the New Holland architectural complex will not affect the city's plan to redevelop the monument of architecture, Governor Valentina Matviyenko said Saturday. "Apparently, they were burning garbage there but didn't bother about safety requirements," Interfax quoted her as saying. "The building didn't suffer much from the fire. Only part of the roof was destroyed." On Tuesday, the governor received a symbolic key from the New Holland from Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov marking the handover from the military to the city. City Protest in Moscow ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - Local businessmen on Monday held a protest meeting in Moscow against a plan to shut kiosks at public transport stops, Interfax reported. One participant, Tatyana Belkina, said 30,000 to 40, 000 people involved in small businesses, would lose their jobs if the plan proceeds. Cocaine Confiscated ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - The city branch of the Federal Security Service, Baltic customs and U.S. security services conducted a joint operation that resulted in confiscation of 9 kilograms of cocaine worth about $500,000, Interfax reported Monday. The drugs were confiscated from a Russian citizen, a member of the crew of ship Pietari Glory, at the sea port. According to the city's FSB press office, the operation shut a smuggling route from Latin America to Russia. Sewage Station Opens ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - The city's first sewage-treatment facilities meeting all European standards and Helsinki Commission requirements opened in the city suburban town Sestroretsk on Saturday, Interfax reported. The project, which cost $8 million, to complete was funded by the city's water treatment monopolyVodokanal and its Finnish and Swedish counterparts. Sweden provided $2.5 million. TITLE: Freedom House Says Russia Is Not Free PUBLISHER: The Associated Press TEXT: MOSCOW - Russia has restricted rights to such an extent that it has joined the countries that are not free for the first time since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, Freedom House said last week, marking Moscow's march away from the Western democracies it has embraced as diplomatic partners. "This setback for freedom represented the year's most important political trend," the U.S.-based non-governmental organization wrote in its annual study, Freedom in the World 2005. Freedom House noted increased Kremlin control over national television and other media, limitations on local government, and parliamentary and presidential elections it said were neither free nor fair. "Russia's step backward into the 'Not Free' category is the culmination of a growing trend under President Vladimir Putin to concentrate political authority, harass and intimidate the media, and politicize the country's law-enforcement system," executive director Jennifer Windsor said in a statement. "These moves mark a dangerous and disturbing drift toward authoritarianism in Russia, made more worrisome by President Putin's recent heavy-handed meddling in political developments in neighboring countries, such as Ukraine." The report accused Putin of exploiting the Beslan school tragedy to ram through what Freedom House called the dismantling of local authority. In the wake of the September attack, which killed more than 330 people, Putin introduced a plan to end the election of governors by popular vote and the election of legislators in individual races. Currently, the 450 seats in the lower house of parliament are equally split between those filled through party lists and those contested in district races. The Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the report, which said that Russia had reached its lowest point where political rights and civic freedoms are concerned since 1989. Grigory Yavlinsky, a former member of parliament with the liberal Yabloko party, said Russia has been "not free" for more than a decade now. "Today in Russia there are no independent mass media, no independent court, parliament, business. There is no public control over special forces and police. There are practically no elections which are not controlled by the authorities," he said. Freedom House said that on balance, the world saw increased freedom in 2004: 26 countries showed gains while 11 showed decline. Of the world's 192 countries, it judged 46 percent free, 26 percent not free, and the rest partly free. Eight rated as the most repressive: Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Turkmenistan. It registered democratic gains in the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine, where popular protests forced the cancellation of the results of fraudulent elections in the past
13 months. "The positive experiences in Georgia and Ukraine indicate that democratic ferment and nonviolent civic protest are potent forces for political change," Windsor said. "They also reinforce freedom's gradual global advance." TITLE: Group to Review Trophy Art Policy PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: A German-Russian working group is to be formed to deal with matters regarding so-called trophy art removed from Germany by the Soviets after World War II, German news agency Deutscher Depeschendienst, or DDP, reported last week. Citing circles close to last week's intergovernmental talks in Germany, the report said German Culture Minister Christina Weiss and Russian Culture and Press Minister Alexander Sokolov had agreed to create the group. German weekly Der Spiegel also reported the agreement, emphasizing no timetable was attached to it. Weiss had been reported earlier as considering taking a private lawsuit to recover the Rubens painting "Tarquin and Lucretia," valued at about $80 million, which is being restored in St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. The painting was removed from Potsdam after the war. Its fate was unknown for many years until it passed through several hands before being bought by Moscow art collector Vladimir Logvinenko. Last year he offered to sell it to the German claimants, Preussische Schloesser und Garten Berlin Brandenburg, which operates castles and gardens in and around Berlin. This resulted in the German government asking the Russian government to assist in its recovery. The painting it was seized for several months. Russian prosecutors later declared Logvinenko the legitimate owner of the work, arguing he had bought it in good faith. The German government disagrees. A legal opinion obtained for Weiss from the Munich-based Institut fuer Ostrecht said a suit questioning Logvinenko's claim to ownership would likely be successful. The opinion was given to the Russians at the talks, the DDP report said. The lawsuit has been postponed due to the formation of the working group, it added. Other cultural items held in Russia that the group will consider include the Baldin collection of works originating from Bremen, the Walther Rathenau archives, and the Anhalt silver collection. The German government says that 3 kilometers of archives, 2 million books and about 1 million works of art should be returned. The State Duma declared all the works Russian property in 2000. The agreement on the working group came just days after the U.S. government agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by Hungarian Holocaust survivors for gold, jewelry and other property looted by the U.S. army at the end of World War II. TITLE: China Wins 1st Internet Chess International PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: The world's first international chess tournament played over the Internet ended Thursday with China clinching an unexpected victory ahead of France, Russia and Armenia. The Tigran Petrosian Internet Memorial tournament was held in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the birth of the late world chess champion Tigran Petrosian, an Armenian. Each four-player team played six rounds. China was the lowest-ranked team, but finished with 14 points to Russia's and France's 13, but France beat Russia on tiebreaks to take second place. Armenia finished with 8 points. The St. Petersburg Chess Federation with the support of the city government and the Armenian community in St. Petersburg were among the organizers of the competition, which took place Dec. 18 to 23. The teams of the four competing countries fought it out for $55,000 in prize money without leaving their home countries. The Russian team of Pyotr Shvidler, Alexander Khalifman, Alexei Dreyev and Vadim Zvyagintsev played in St. Petersburg under supervision of French referee Jean-Claude Templeur. "Apart from the handshake, the playing conditions resembled the conditions of any high-level tournament," Templeur said. "Whether you are playing on the Internet under official supervision or meeting your opponent face-to-face seems not to matter much." "This tournament has shown that from now on it will be possible to play chess under realistic sporting conditions from any part of the planet, where you live," he said. "Why don't we dream of huge opens played at 50 or 100 sites around the world. After my experience here in St. Petersburg, I know that this is already possible." TITLE: Tourism Growth Halted PUBLISHER: Staff Writer TEXT: For the first time in 7 years St. Petersburg city government has reported discouraging news on the tourism front: the number of visitors has stopped growing. "Our results will at best repeat last year's figures," said Viktor Pakhomkov, deputy head of the External Affairs and Tourism Committee of the city government. In 2003, 3.12 million foreign tourists visited St. Petersburg, which was then a 15 percent hike from 2002. In the meantime, some local hotels have improved their sales in 2004. Yana Lakizina, PR-manager of Grand Hotel Europe, said they had more guests this year than in 2003, and the tendency was for guests to stay longer. Negative publicity According to Sergei Korneyev, head of the Northwest branch of the Russian Union of Travel Industry participants (RST), two plane crashes, a series of blasts and the hostage tragedy in Beslan led to the cancellations for 20,000 foreign tourist groups planning a trip to Russia. Concurrently, St. Petersburg suffered a 20-percent decline in tourism from abroad. "St. Petersburg and its region are considered the safest regions in all of Russia," Korneyev said. "But a terrorist attack typically affects the entire country, and not only the area where it happens." "This year was not an easy one for all of us," said Luba Aprelikova, director of sales and marketing at Renaissance St. Petersburg Baltic Hotel. "The city was still living on the wave of the 300 year anniversary and getting large visitor numbers when the tragic events of Beslan shocked the world." As a result, Aprelikova noted a decline in business, or corporate, tourism: "Russia was taken off the list of 'incentive destinations' by some of the large international travel agencies." Pakhomkov said that many trips to St. Petersburg were canceled at the last minute. "Several thousands tourists cancelled their reservations, and of course nobody can calculate the number of people who simply changed their mind about wanting to travel to St. Petersburg," he complained. Poor funding This year, St. Petersburg missed almost all important travel exhibitions abroad owing to limited funds. In 2004, the city budget for tourism development was cut by more than 80 percent: just 6 million rubles ($200,000) was allotted to promote the city. As a result, the city attended only 4 international tourism exhibitions, a far cry from the 18-22 events the St. Petersburg delegation was able to attend in previous years. By comparison, Moscow's tourism budget this year stood at an enviable 310 million rubles, and the sum will be boosted to a handsome 900 million rubles next year, Pakhomkov said. In the meantime, the northern capital will have to make do with same 6 million rubles again next year. "This is obviously wrong and a shame for the city," Pakhomkov said. "The industry brings from 10 percent to 12 percent of the city's total income - something like 100 billion rubles ($22 million)." Balancing the books Leonid Flit, general director of Nika Travel Agency, said a major transport company, able to respond to increasing needs of the local travel industry, should be created. "In the Soviet years, Intourist was doing fine, but now they can't cope with all the requests. They simply don't have enough buses." Still another view stressed by many experts was the need to move official events from the White Nights summer season in order to allow more ordinary tourists to visit the city, and make the industry busier during the low season. Gennady Belonogov, general director of Pulkovskaya Hotel, pointed to a comparison between St. Petersburg's modest 15,000 beds at local hotels and London's more than 300,000. "The shortage is damaging the industry," he said. "The small hotels aren't helping it much. Nobody is building large hotels here because it takes about 7 years to repay the money invested, and people don't want to take risks. The city has to think how to make it more attractive for investors." Belonogov added that potential investors expressed concern about a drastic gap in occupancy between the summer and the winter months. Low winter tourist numbers was an investor worry. Security Security is still a major concern for tourists, and not just foreigners, but also Russian nationals traveling. Foreign visitors bombarded their hosts with complaints in the summer concerning poor security on the city's streets. Once out of the hotel, the chances of theft were high, tourists complained. "Over the past several years, we have installed over 200 cameras in our hotel, and it has been a very efficient system," Pulkovskaya's Belonogov said. "But we are not responsible for the insufficient street patrolling." Rachel Shackleton, general director of Concept Training, Development and Consultancy Services, believes security has to be focused on, with concrete actions needed to be taken by the city tourist committee to bring visible results. "The situation needs to be addressed in a very serious way to defeat those few who are damaging the image of this city as a destination," Shackleton said. Infrastructure ailing Furthermore, experts point out that there have been no improvements to the city's infrastructure. There is still a big challenge in the process of receiving visas for Russia; it remains problematic to arrange tours to museums, which are overcrowded despite increased prices; traffic jams seem to be only getting worse. "On the transportation front, I don't see any changes at all. There's been no real effort to structure parking or traffic systems to manage the increased flow of traffic," Shackleton said. Thomas Noll, general manager of Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel, said many guests made complaints about the city's ailing infrastructure. "What we hear more often is how things are organized at Pulkovo airport, when you have to cue up outside the terminal in the cold winter temperatures in order to go through the security control," Noll said. Attractive possibilities Lyudmila Ivanova, director of the Association of Tourism Exhibitions, said Great Britain's annual profit from the tourism industry makes Pound3 billion ($5.79 billion), and this is what St. Petersburg should be aiming at, if not immediately, then in the near future. "A Unesco report this year rated St. Petersburg at No.8 in a list of the world's most attractive destinations," Ivanova said. "We should be promoting the city much more intensively. "Prague is visited by 12 million people a year, but the Czech National Tourism board is investing lots more into promoting the Czech capital than Russians do to promote St. Petersburg." In Noll's opinion, the town's marketing and promotion are still in the nascent stages. "Currently promotion concepts are being developed by the Boston Consulting Group and TACIS to raise the city to a No. 5 most attractive destination in the world," Noll said. "But once a good model is created, efficient cooperation is needed between the government and private enterprises to establish a effective marketing service for the city." TITLE: Piter Has Russia's Most Optimistic Businessmen PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: Business owners of mid-sized companies in Russia are less optimistic about the economy than a year ago, according the 2005 Grant Thornton International Business Owners Survey, published in early December. Although St. Petersburg businessmen were one of the most positive in Russia, the country's general attitude is in contrast to a global optimism recorded among businessmen from 24 countries. "If three years ago domestic confidence had a leading position globally, this year Russia is at the foot of the league table," said Sergey Aslibekian, managing partner at Grant Thornton in Russia in an e-mail interview Tuesday. "Russian business owners' expectations for their own companies have also dropped. But of the 12 Russian cities in which the interviews took place, businessmen from St. Petersburg showed the most optimistic results," Aslibekian said. According to the survey, companies in 13 out of the 24 world's economies were more optimistic now than last year - an increase of more than 10 percent in the optimism/pessimism balance, with India, Australia, and Canada leading the way. Expectations for investment in new buildings and plant & machinery, an indicator of mid-term strength, were at the highest level in the EU since 2001. Russia, however, was one of the three countries which significantly bucked the trend of optimism (along with the U.S. and Spain), with a 55 percent drop in its optimism/pessimism balance, though optimists still prevailed over pessimists (14 percent more optimists than pessimists, compared to 31 percent in 2004). While Aslibekian blamed heightened terrorism and an absence of notable economic growth for dampened business expectation, the survey concluded that domestic companies saw such areas as prospects for employment as dropping from year to year: only 20 percent more optimists for 2005 (34 percent in 2003). The survey's results struck a common chord with many St. Petersburg-based business leaders. "In a week when Russia proceeded to auction Yuganskneftegaz to an unknown group for less than half its value, and despite the U.S. bankruptcy action initiated in Houston, it is not surprising to see that Russian businesspeople are less optimistic," said Glenn Kolleeny, managing partner at Salans international law firm, in a telephone interview last Friday. "Unfortunately, I have to agree with this general sentiment. It is clear that sooner or later oil prices will come down, and Russia will have significant difficulties adapting its now essentially state-owned oil and gas industry to such a downturn." Konstantin Kovalyov, deputy general director of Okhta Group Development, believes next year is one of increased investment activity in St. Petersburg, and Russia as a whole. "The prices of raw materials will remain at a stable high and the economy will continue," he said. The negative factor of terrorism, often mentioned by businessmen, could also be less traumatic for future economic possibilities, Kovalyov adds. "At present, both in Russia and worldwide, the scale of the terrorist threat has been evaluated and measures aimed at localising it taken. With every year the possibility of global cataclysms diminishes." Concerning St. Petersburg, there was caution but some encouragement. "At least in the short run we expect the real estate boom in St. Petersburg to continue, as well as strong M&A activity. In this respect, the announcement of Orkhla's acquisition of SladKo is very positive news," Kolleeny said. TITLE: Illarionov Speaks Out PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: Russia's current economic policy cannot lead to the planned doubling of its GDP within 10 years because of the state's "shady" intervention in business, Andrei Illarionov, presidential economic adviser, said Tuesday at a news conference. Illarionov named the recent auction of Yuganskneftgaz as the dodgiest and harmful act of the year to the image of Russian business, Interfax reported. "The sale of Yuganskneftegaz to a mystical, and now not so mystical, company named Baikal Finance Group has won this year's 'shady deal of the year award'," Illarionov said. "This game used to be characteristic of con artists. Now such deals are being implemented between state-owned companies." The political adviser was adamant that Russia's economic policy has suffered, and should aim to be balanced, consistent and liberal. Only then can the country hope to double the GDP, he said. "Doubling it is out of the question while the government pursues an interventionist policy," Illarionov said. Russia's current economic stagnation was the chief surprise of the year, Interfax reported Illarionov as saying. In 2004 Russian oil was exported at an average price of $29 per barrel compared to $23.7 per barrel in 2003, Illarionov said. Consequently, the oil sales situation brought in $54.3 billion in 10 months of 2004, compared to $32.1 billion in the whole of 2003. "Against this background, the growth of nearly all macroeconomic indexes has slowed," Illarionov said. Finishing on the Yukos affair, he rued the devastating effect on Russia's economy and image. "It is not clear when this damage will be mended," Illarionov said. TITLE: IN BRIEF TEXT: Yukos Dives on RTS ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - The RTS demonstrated a generally downward trend as the shares of both Yukos and LUKoil slid and the market's total value diminished by 0.21 percent to 604.48 points, reported AK&M news agency. Yukos shares suffered the most, dropping 17.1 percent to $0.80. They were joined by LUKoil papers which decreased by a more modest 1.16 percent to $29.7 and RAO Electric Power Station Rossii's (0.7 percent drop to $0.283). The only marked positive turn was in Norils Nickel, the shares of which climbed by a slight 0.09 percent to $55. Th rest of the blue-chip companies are currently not involved in the market. The overall turnover on the market made $5.8 million by 2pm Tuesday, Moscow Time. Alfa Buys Into Brewer MOSCOW (SPT) - Belarussian-based brewer Dednovo has become Alfa Group's latest beer investment, an unnamed source at Alfa told Interfax on Friday. "We participated in the privatization of Dednovo. The purchase has been completed," said a source at Alfa Eko, Alfa Group's investment and trading arm. The source refused to name the investment amount or the percentage of shares purchased by Alfa. Alfa Eko plans to increase Dednovo's production to 10 million decaliters per year after modernization, eventually boosting production to 20 million decaliters per year, Interfax reported. Alfa Eko said Belarussian brewers currently produce a total of 21.8 million decaliters of beer per year. RTS Goes Real-Time MOSCOW (Bloomberg) - The RTS, Russia's second-largest bourse by trading volume, will begin calculating its benchmark index in real time in 2005, the RTS said in a statement Friday. The RTS index, which is used as the nation's benchmark by many international funds, currently calculates every half hour, making it less of an indicator of immediate market action than the MICEX, which does calculate in real time. Ruble at 4-Year High MOSCOW (Reuters) - The ruble opened at new four-year highs on Monday, leading the Central Bank to step in with a dollar bid at 27.7750 to curb its gains, dealers said. The ruble continues to be driven by strong oil revenues and the weak dollar. It has gained 5 percent against the U.S. currency since the authorities first yielded to market appreciation pressure in October. Severstal Steel Deal MOSCOW (Bloomberg) - Severstal, the country's third-biggest steelmaker, agreed to supply steel to two Italian companies that make car parts for companies such as BMW. Severstal will sell 17,000 tons of cold rolled steel to the Italian companies in the first half of next year, Severstal said in a statement Friday. Severstal didn't name the Italian companies. Postal Rates to Rise MOSCOW (Prime-Tass) - Russian Post plans to hike its rates by 12 percent starting from March 2005, general director Igor Syrtsov told Itar-Tass on Friday. The last time postal rates were increased was in May 2004 and that was by 15 percent, Syrtsov said. However, he was quick to add that the "hiking the tariffs does not mean revenues increase." In 2003, when the rate-hike stood at 12 percent, revenues rose only by 5 percent, he said. Most of the company's transportation is handled by Russian Post itself, which requires considerable expenditures on gasoline and maintenance of the fleet, Syrtsov said. Telecoms Ratings Cut MOSCOW (SPT) - Standard & Poor's lowered the rating of seven regional telecom companies on Friday after majority shareholder Svyazinvest sacked the general director of one of the companies. "Svyazinvest's influence on the decision not to renew the contract with Uralsvyazinform's CEO [Vladimir Rybakin] lacked articulated motives and was successful despite the objections of independent directors," S&P said in a statement Friday. S&P lowered the rating of Uralsvyazinform's governance structure and practices to 4+ from 6 on a 10-point scale. It also lowered the ratings of the six other regional providers in the Svyazinvest holding, saying they, too, are at risk of "unilateral action by Svyazinvest." Oil Duty Reduction? MOSCOW (Bloomberg) - The government may cut its crude oil export duty to $83 per ton ($11.32 per barrel) on Feb. 1, Interfax reported Monday, citing Alexander Sakovich, a deputy head of the Finance Ministry's customs department. That compares with the record $101-per-ton tax being charged since Dec. 1. The government reviews its oil export duty every two months to take into account changes in international prices. TITLE: 2004: Back to the Soviet Future TEXT: This year, the first real year of President Vladimir Putin's regime - and not some Yeltsin-Putin hybrid - is coming to a close. State Duma elections a year ago strengthened the Kremlin's control over the legislative process and, in the end, over the rules of the political game. Nine months ago, without facing any real rivals, Putin was triumphantly re-elected for a second term as president. Seven months ago, after the assassination of former mufti and pro-Moscow leader Akhmad Kadyrov, the Kremlin's greatest hope for managing Chechnya, the biggest string of terrorist attacks in the five years of Putin's war in Chechnya began. The attacks tore through almost all the regions of the North Caucasus and have yet to end. The Kremlin's reaction was the package of political reforms announced 3 1/2 months ago after the tragedy in Beslan, reforms that are anti-federal and anti-democratic in nature. The new, hastily invented changes to domestic politics were inspired by the complete failure of previous, primarily administrative reforms. Foreign policy was also plagued by failure in 2004, especially in the high-priority area of the "near abroad." The Baltic states joined NATO, which was perceived as a catastrophe and a major humiliation by military officials and a variety of politicians. Russia lost influence in Adzharia and Abkhazia, and suffering a major defeat in Ukraine. The alarming trends in the economy seem to contradict both Putin's oft-repeated ambition to double GDP in coming years and extremely favorable world market conditions. Economic growth slowed, inflation grew, investment fell, and capital flight increased. Why? Structural reforms have stalled. The siloviki and bureaucrats are interfering in the economy, starting with the Yukos affair and ending with recent demands on VimpelCom. The state justifies its racketeering as attempts to improve "corporate social responsibility." The security and law enforcement agencies, which have undergone profound reforms in thefive years since Yeltsin left office, seem unable to cope with their main tasks of protecting the public and combating terrorism. However, they are proving adept at getting involved in business and domestic politics. This is reflected in the numerous court cases initiated against various governors and their close associates this year, and in the repression of political parties and their activists. The siloviki played politics openly in all of the recent gubernatorial elections by directly supporting particular candidates, crushing their rivals or even running for office themselves. Repression via the courts had never previously played the decisive role it did in 2004, and the courts have become the favorite all-around tool for solving various political problems, from gaining control over strategic industries or large companies, to kicking undesirable candidates out of elections at various levels. Courts and prosecutors have been exploited in battles between political clans and have been used to resolve economic disputes. The legal reforms that were once high on the agenda have led, in effect, to a restoration of Soviet jurisprudence, when a phone call could lead to a conviction and laws can be ignored at will according to the political circumstances. The fact that the state has become Soviet in both form and content is the final result of the various transformations that have affected nearly every branch of government in recent years. Open political competition and civil society as a whole have been undermined. A faceless hegemonic party has been established, and government officials have joined its ranks en masse. The old Soviet triangle of power - the Central Committee, the government and the rubber-stamp assembly - have been recreated at the federal level. The system of horizontal rotation for security officials has returned at the local level. The new appointment of governors resembles the old central appointment of regional party secretaries. News reporting has returned to the old Soviet style. To paraphrase former prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, "No matter what kind of strong state we try to build, we always seem to end up with the Soviet Union." The problem, it seems, is that Putin's initial attempt at modernization ended in failure. Russia is now at a crossroads: Either the Soviet Union will be restored or modernization will be re-attempted, but on a completely different basis. It will not be possible to restore the U.S.S.R. gently and gradually. It will require not only massive amounts of material resources, but also political repressions that will be much harder to carry out in the age of globalization than they were under Stalin. Modernization will require a radical shift in officials' attitudes toward the public, a real reliance on civil society to effect social change and real limits on the new/old bureaucracy that has grown significantly stronger in recent times. The end of either road is extremely unclear to current authorities. Yet they do have a choice in the coming year, as does society at large. Nikolai Petrov is a scholar-in-residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center and a columnist for The St. Petersburg Times. TITLE: Subjugated Court System Stifles Battle With Corruption TEXT: The results of court reforms have meant judges are now more corruptable and more dependent on the government, Valery Zorkin, chairman of the Supreme Court says. In his televized address after the Beslan tragedy, President Vladimir Putin said pretty much the same thing: "We have allowed corruption to penetrate into the justice and law enforcement systems." He did not directly name the main source of corruption - where, in the end, does corruption germinate? But by using the preposition "we", he suggested where to look. It's common knowledge that "the fish begins to stink from the head" (the rot begins at the top.) The consequences of that process can clearly be seen in the story of Yukos. And one can directly observe the process by monitoring the Moscow City Court. The mechanism for manipulating judges is as follows. Everything answers to the head of the court, Olga Yegorova, who was urgently appointed to her position at the time of the hearings over MOST-Media head Vladimir Gusinsky and NTV. Although the law forbids her to get involved in the affairs of individual judges, she openly does so, and was constantly in consultation with the Prosecutor General's Office. One judge even caught her in the act of one such consultation, but Yegorova did not ever try to hide it. According to judges who have quit, she provided an arrangement of necessary staff in key positions as heads of the district courts. Plus she ordered a commission in Moscow to be in charge of sacking those judges who are found to be "disobedient" on sometimes laughable pretexts. Yegorova herself is firmly supported in place by the Moscow Qualification Collegium of Judges. Evidence of this came out when Judge Kurenevoi's complaints against the head of Moscow City Court were examined by none other than Yegorova herself. It seems that in the last year the situation has only worsened, and by a lot. By the way, since the described events, Moscow City Court has been dubbed as the Moscow City Stamp ("Mosgosstamp") for its obedient (rubber-) stamping of the decisions taken by the Prosecutor General's Office. An unnamed source told the newspaper Gazeta that Yegorova had given an oral instruction to all judges to raise the conviction rate. One of the sacked judges, Alexander Melikov, confirmed this; he openly defied the illegal order. Melikov said that at first there were quite a few recalcitrant judges, but then most were put under strong pressure, one on one, and the majority relented. Some were forced to resign and their silence was bought by the continuation of all their privileges as judges. The only one to openly revolt was Melikov. Then the "heavy artillery" was applied to him. By decision of the Moscow Qualification Collegium of Judges his status as judge in the Dorogomilovsky district court was made null and void. As reasons for the action, Yegorova stated several things against Melikov but journalists were never given clear explanations for them. Natalya Vishnyakova, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office, gave as an example an instance in which Melikov had stopped the investigation of a road accident even though the case involved four deaths. In fact, the two sides had settled out of court and had apparently asked that the trial be suspended, but Vishnyakov considered that this was an illegal decision. In answer, Melikov rejected that point of view. Firstly, he said, the law did enable him to suspend the case. What is forbidden is to suspend cases in which the compensation had not been paid. But, Melikov said that in the case in question the complainant had been compensated. Secondly, he said: "If the two sides ask for the trial to end, and the law allows it, I consider that I have no right to refuse. If I choose for the case to continue, I can no longer be an impartial observer of proceedings - it means I have vested interest in seeing a particular outcome of the trial." And that would be breaking the law - something Yegorova's instruction was implying he should do. In her mind, according to Melnikov, there remain several deliberate false allegations. For instance, that he closed cases of people who had been previously convicted, although Melikov presented documents showing that these people had not been convicted previously. The Qualification Collegium ignored all his facts. It's no surprise that in a poll conducted by Ekho Moskvy radio station, 97 percent of the 5,000 callers said that they do not believe in the Russian courts. In the same Beslan speech, Putin named the main cause of all Russia's current ills. "We live in conditions of a transition economy and a political system that is not as developed as our society." This diagnosis seems highly accurate to me. If this country really has adopted a modern democratic model of development based on a market economy, it cannot also keep half-baked remnants of the Soviet, dictatorial political system - a system that was founded on the personal power of the head of state, and supported by certain key bureaucrats, all of whom ruled unchecked for the sake of personal advancement or enrichment. It may well be that such a political system in Latin America leads to open contradictions between the development of an open economy and a flourishing civil society. The paradox is that, the man who made this rather accurate depiction, is the same person who instead of tackling the situation, contradicts it through his own actions and even strengthens it by using his immense political power. It is absolutely clear that without an indication from the president or at least some private approval, the heads of the Prosecutor General's Office would never have dared to break the law so crudely. How? By de facto running the Moscow City Court and, apparently, all the higher justice organs, including the Higher Qualifications Collegium of Judges. By forcing judges to make multiple breaches of procedure - which are particularly clear in cases that are politically motivated (e.g., Mikhail Khodorkovsky et al at Yukos, or the scientists investigated for "spying.") As a consequence of the decaying "head" of the justice system, its "body" too is disintegrating: the mechanism of verdicts-to-order works not only in political cases, but also in others, including criminal and civil cases. Instead of stemming corruption, the justice system, with powerful support from the center, only strengthens it. By making self-critical and totally just allegations, Putin, is apparently calling on us to reject the political system that he himself has built and reinforced. So, at the next elections we should remember his advice, since the majority of us trust him, don't we? Vladimir Gryaznevich is a political analyst with Expert Severo-Zapad magazine. His comment was first broadcast on Ekho Moskvy in St. Petersburg on Friday. TITLE: Winter wonderland PUBLISHER: Staff Writer TEXT: With Johann Strauss waltzes, 19th century choreography, church architecture and children's stories, this winter's premier arts festival promises to be as traditional and exhilarating a celebration of Russian winter as a troika ride. Running from Dec. 28 through Jan. 7, the Arts Square festival is meant to revive long-lost winter traditions that thrived before the Bolshevik Revolution. The events was established in 1998 by conductor Yury Temirkanov, artistic director of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The festival is part of the White Days program that is presented as a winter version of White Nights, which has a summer festival at the Mariinsky Theater. The White Days initiative was launched in 2001 to offer visitors discounted cultural package deals that include food, lodging in one of city's grandest hotels, tickets to the Philharmonia, Mariinsky Theater or Hermitage Museum and taxi service to and from the airport. "Most foreigners think that nothing happens in Russia, and in St. Petersburg, in winter," Temirkanov said. "With our festival, we'd like to show that our city in winter is not a silent, breathless and deserted land, covered with snow." This year's festival opens with British pianist John Lill performing Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto alongside the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Temirkanov at the Shostakovich Philharmonic's Grand Hall, which traditionally serves as the festival's main venue. Lill, whose talent manifested itself at an early age, gave his first public piano recital when aged nine. At the age of 18, he performed Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto with Sir Adrian Boult, and made his highly acclaimed London debut playing Beethoven's Emperor Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall. The festival takes its name from the square on which the concert hall stands - Ploshchad Iskusstv ("Arts Square"). The historic square, near the Grand Hotel Europe and Nevsky Prospekt, is home to the Ethnographic Museum, the Mussorgsky Theater of Opera and Ballet, the Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theater, the Theater of Musical Comedy, and the State Russian Museum, as well as the Grand Hall of the Shostakovich Philharmonic. In the center of the square stands a statue of Russia's national poet, Alexander Pushkin. As well as the music component championed by Termikanov, the festival features visual art at the Russian Museum, which prepares a special exhibition for each year's event. This year the museum is putting on two exhibitions. "Religious St. Petersburg", which already opened at the museum's Benois Wing, is focused on religious life in the city and showcases images of many examples of churches, cathedrals and temples from all religions built in the Northern Capital. Comprising over 600 exhibits from the grandest collections from Moscow and St. Petersburg, the display juxtaposes sketches and drawings by the city's most famous architects, icons, sculpture and paintings decorating St. Petersburg's places of worship. The items embrace over two centuries in the city's history, from the reign of Peter the Great until the rule of Nicholas II. Representatives of local Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities attended the opening last week and welcomed the display as a declaration of the spirit of religious and ethnic tolerance, much needed these days, with the city experiencing an increasing wave of racist and nationalist attacks. Meanwhile, an exhibition of works by the late St. Petersburg artist Tatyana Mavrina plunges viewers into the magical world of illustrated children's books. Mavrina's art absorbed influences from traditional Russian icon-painting as well as popular prints and graphics, and her characters, like Kotofei Ivanovich the Cat, are among Russian children's favorites. The Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theater contributes to the festival with a performance of its prize-winning production of "Don Juan" by the innovative Bulgarian director Alexander Morfov, who has been appointed the company's principal director this season (Jan. 5) . The Mussorgsky Opera and Ballet Theater isn't itself preparing a show for the festival but is providing its stage for an Evening of Russian Ballet (Jan. 2). Celebrated Mariinsky principals Ulyana Lopatkina and Farukh Ruzimatov join their renowned counterparts from London's Covent Garden - Roberta Marquez and Vyacheslav Samodurov, who is originally from the Mariinsky as well. Opera lovers will drool at the prospect of a joint recital by the Mariinsky opera stars soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Yevgeny Akimov on Jan. 4 in the Shostakovich Philharmonic. The tastiest bonbon of the festival is anticipated to be a magnificent evening of Johann Strauss's waltzes, polkas and marches performed by the celebrated Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna, Austria. As with every previous Arts Square Festival, Temirkanov is introducing a talented newcomer to the city's concert-goers this year. The name to watch this time is 15-year old Moscow-born violinist Alexandra Soumm, who performs alonside the Shostakovich Philharmonic's Academic Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Italian conductor Roberto Benzi when the festival closes on Jan. 7, in a program of works by Glazunov and Schumann. Soumm, who is currently studying abroad, has already been noticed by the influential London-based concert management agency Askonas Holt, which represents such classical megastars as soprano Barbara Frittoli, baritone Dmitry Khvorostovsky, bass Paata Burchuladze, conductor Claudio Abbado, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianists Yevgeny Kissin and Murray Perahia. The young violinist, who is noted, in particular, for her renditions of Paganini, is also on the agency's list. In previous years, Temirkanov's young proteges have included Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Kazakh conductor Alan Buribayev and American violinist Stefan Jackiw. On New Year's Eve, according to another Arts Square tradition, Temirkanov is organizing a luxurious ball in the sumptous interiors of the mysterious Yusupov Palace. At 600 euros per person, the ticket is not exactly a bargain - but each of 180 guests can expect exclusive treatment. "Star guests of the festivals take part in the festivities, and there is always some original twist in the program," said festival director Yulia Strizhak. "For instance, you could observe two conductors leading an orchestra! Renowned classical pianist Yevgeny Kissin was even spotted playing lively jazz at the 2002/2003 event." According to Temirkanov, the ball, despite always being a sell-out, is never a very profitable enterprise. "We always invest more into it, and, in the end, the ball always saddles us with some losses," Temirkanov said. "But we'll always keep it because reviving winter seasons means reviving the more refined traditions in high social life as well." Like everything that is performed at the Philharmonic, Arts Square Festival concerts the reflect musical taste of its artistic director. Temirkanov claims he can only conduct music that he really loves. "If I conduct something of which I'm not fond, I feel as though I'm lying to the audience," the conductor said. For instance, these principles exclude from the festival almost all music written in the world in the modern era. "Nowadays, composers tend to construct music, to invent it, rather than just give birth to it," Temirkanov explains. "New music often feels like a creature of the mind. Perhaps that's the reason it doesn't touch me emotionally."
www.artsquarewinterfest.ru, www.philharmonia.ru TITLE: CHERNOV'S CHOICE TEXT: President Vladimir Putin has paid Pound20,000 to have Smokie play for his New Year party at the Kremlin, according to The Sun. The U.K. newspaper describes Smokie as "naff 70s rockers" and "ancient has-beens." But whatever they like at the Kremlin, the local club scene has plenty of good live music to offer on New Year's Eve. Platforma will be entertaining only its "members and friends" from 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., but from then it will open for the general crowd. Entrance will be 1,000 rubles which includes a bottle of champagne and a 500-ruble certificate toward the bar and kitchen. The music program will be provided by local folk band Dobranotch and Moscow-based singer/songwriter Psoy Korolenko, who will act as host. Fish Fabrique will open at 10 p.m. for its New Year Party, which will include two concerts. First will be an acoustic set from the hard-boogie/funk band Kengurru at 12:30 a.m. or so. Kacheli, arguably the best and rowdiest local club act of the past year, will take to the stage at 2 a.m. Tickets, which include some food and drinks, will cost 1,000 rubles, but simple entrance tickets will be available for 500 rubles each. When the last band finishes at around 3:30 a.m., the doors will be open for free. Griboyedov will start its New Year party at 11 p.m. The club's main live treat will be Natasha Pivovarova, formerly one of the all-female group Kolibri, who now fronts S.O.U.S., her own pop-grunge band. Earlier this month, the band premiered its new set of songs at Purga. S.O.U.S. is scheduled to perform 10 or 15 minutes after midnight. Tickets cost 2,000 rubles in advance (the sum includes some drinks and snacks). After 1:30 a.m., entrance will cost 500 rubles. All the Griboyedov DJs as well as guests will be on hand to spin vinyl. On New Year's Night, Moloko will host a concert by leading local band, Markscheider Kunst, which blends reggae, ska and African styles. Support comes from the younger ska-punk Pilyuli. The club opens at 10 p.m. and Pilyuli will start at midnight, while Markscheider Kunst will not appear until 3 a.m. DJs will be fill the gaps. Entrance fee is 500 rubles. Meanwhile, the recently opened reggae club Jah'mbala will host a "New Year Jamaica Style" party featuring the local reggae band Dia Positive, the punk/thrash metal-oriented Orlandina will offer "Alternative New Year" headlined with obscure band Last Ket4up, while Stary Dom will celebrate with the cabaret act Khoronko Orchestra. The trendy bar Datscha chose to make its New Year party invitation-only, due to a lack of space and too many people wishing to hear the clock strikes midnight there. The party will start at 10 p.m. Cynic will be having a private party, but promises to help the public to fight hangovers with an Olivye Party that starts on Saturday at 8 p.m. Rassol (salted cucumber brine), the Russian traditional cure for hangovers, will be available for free. - By Sergey Chernov TITLE: Thanks for the memory PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: Grand Gosier, 7 Furshtatskaya Ulitsa. Tel. 275 2994. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Major credit cards accepted. Dinner for three with wine: 2,270 rubles ($81) "Shall I book a table?" "No, it will be okay. But you know where you're going, don't you?" "Er... Grand Gosier?" "You're right. There used to be a Chinese restaurant here, so many people get mixed up." I remembered that Chinese restaurant, in fact. Near the corner of Furshtatskaya Ulitsa and Liteiny Prospekt, the one we popped in with a friend of mine, looking for a good place to hold their wedding party. That was three years ago and we met the two Chinese owners of the restaurant - an old couple. We had a nice chat with them about weddings - what it means in China and what it means in Russia, and all that kind of thing. In the end, we chose a different place (a Vietnamese restaurant that the day before the wedding was charged for the illegal use of electricity by tax and electricity inspectors). There was a wedding - without any electricity, just some Ikea candles and a battery-powered radio. Without going too deeply into the consequences of that ceremony, it can at least be said that the couple were told, barring its closure for bankruptcy, that they would be welcome to have a free meal in the restaurant on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary. Well, the restaurant is still there but the couple never showed up. Ironically, it was the Chinese place they could have chosen that closed. In its place there is a so-called European Medieval tavern, Grand Gosier. Its interior features include lime-washed and bare-brick walls, stained-glass windows with images depicting everyday life of our medieval ancestors such as a woman pouring a pail of water on the head of a man, people talking, eating, drinking, and jesters. Round chandeliers with candles, the sort you can see in almost any European castle, light the room. There's a huge selection of various kinds of meat, poultry and fish including beef, veal, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, duck, chicken, carp, salmon and sterlet. The names of dishes occupy two or three lines on the menu and contain a thorough description of all ingredients. Starters vary from 100 rubles ($3.50) to 260 rubles ($9.20), and with a great many venison dishes. I had carpaccio (150 rubles, $5.30) which arrived almost frozen and I was tempted to warm it up over a candle, but my friend's slices of smoked venison with cucumber and plum jam (240 rubles, $8.57) were good. Main courses cost from between 200 rubles ($7.10) to 300 ($10.70). I would certainly recommend the veal "under the fur-coat" of stewed vegetables (250 rubles, $8.90), and the salmon filet on an apple "pillow" (240 rubles, $8,57) was also quite tender. The pork chop (210 rubles, $7.50), however, turned out to be rather dull. We were quite attracted by the spicy fish soup with bananas and coconuts (150 rubles, $5.3) but decided to leave it for others to try. As for desserts, the short-cake with mango for 150 rubles ($5.30) - more like a cheese-cake - is light, and strawberries with mascarpone cream for 150 rubles is sweet. Country cheese with blackberry chutney - jam, in fact - for 150 rubles ($5.30) turned out to be rather heavy. The magic of my previous experience in this location resurfaced. My friend started talking about weddings. And on the way back, we passed by the former art-house cinema Spartak, which burned down several years ago. One of my friends said he witnessed the fire. But that's another story. TITLE: Gothic fairy tale PUBLISHER: the new york times TEXT: There is something irresistible about children's books with under-age heroes named Baudelaire and something diabolical in that two of those tots are called Sunny and Klaus. Those unfamiliar with the cycle of books called "A Series of Unfortunate Events" written by Lemony Snicket, the nom de plume of Daniel Handler, might be alarmed at these macabre allusions, particularly since the heroes in question are 14, 12 and a baby of indeterminate age if exceptional biting power. But it's comforting that the spirit of Roald Dahl lives and that child readers haven't been completely subjected to the tyranny of nice. Since the publication of the first book in the "Unfortunate" series several years ago, the three Baudelaire children - Violet, Klaus and Sunny - have been trying to find safe harbor in a world fraught with danger. For 11 consecutive books, the children have passed from the care of one well-intentioned adult after another, braving the sort of peril usually faced by silent-screen heroines named Pauline and leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. To date, the cause of their misfortunes has been their onetime guardian, Count Olaf, who hopes to steal their fortune. But now the characters have embarked on one of the most dangerous adventures known in literature: their story has been turned into a major Hollywood movie. Like all of the Baudelaires' past adventures, this latest one is filled with fanciful menace, though here the overarching vibe is less gothic and more action-oriented. Directed by Brad Silberling and written by Robert Gordon, the film is based on the first three books in the "Unfortunate" series and begins with the Baudelaires learning they have been orphaned. The bearer of this bad news is their parents' loyal but useless lawyer, Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall), who whisks them off to their nearest living relative, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). Violet, Klaus and Sunny collectively put on a brave face - the three are played, respectively, by Emily Browning, Liam Aiken and the twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman - not yet aware of the threats posed by greedy relations and very big movie stars. Things look dodgy as soon as the Baudelaires step foot in the count's moldering mansion. In this house of art-designed horror - tricked out with creepy crawlers, peeling plaster and mounds of unspeakable filth - the children soon discover their cousin's intentions. Modest abuse ensues, with the Baudelaires forced to make a puttanesca sauce from scratch, as does a near-brush with death. There are serpentine twists and turns, including interludes with other distant relations, the first with a friendly snake charmer (Billy Connolly) and the second with a leech-fearing widow (Meryl Streep). Throughout, the young actors playing the Baudelaires acquit themselves as admirably as do their characters, sidestepping an occasional bog of sentimentality and bringing a human touch to a production that, as is the big-studio wont, threatens to swallow them whole. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" suffers from one of the most grievous maladies that can strike a children's film, notably a regrettable tendency to fill in all the quiet with noise. (Slangy idioms like "bite me" also creep into the screenplay, disrupting the high-arch tone of the books, which Silberling tries mightily to replicate.) Carrey's loud, showboating performance is the worst offender in this regard. Although he's always smothered under an impasto of special-effects makeup and assumes a number of disguises, there's no mistaking his shtick or avoiding the look-at-me selfishness of his delivery. Both Aiken and Browning are exceptionally appealing young performers, but it's a wonder they didn't request oxygen masks after being forced into such close proximity with so much ham. Silberling has made a movie that's far rougher in texture and tone than Handler's books, but while he doesn't have the author's sense of whimsy (or irony) he manages to construct a pleasantly watchable entertainment in all the spaces in the story not laid siege to by Carrey. The books might have been better served with less money and fewer special effects, since neither their delicacy nor their charmingly idiosyncratic digressions are easily transposed from page to screen. A miniaturist like Wes Anderson, who constructs dollhouse worlds of his own, might have been a more appropriate match. The same goes for the visionaries behind the beautifully filigreed credit sequence, which might just be the best bit of animation to originate in a DreamWorks film yet. TITLE: Tyrolean trails PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times TEXT: When talking about katatsya na lyshakh, the Russian expression for skiing, Russians first and foremost think about cross-country skiing, Russia's traditional and popular winter outdoor activity. As most of the country is as flat as a pancake, it is not much of a surprise that alpine skiing as it is known in Europe, Canada, or the United States isn't very popular among Russians despite the preponderance of snow in winter. Yet it seems as if cross-country skiing has been in steady decline in recent years - in contrast to alpine skiing and snowboarding, which are experiencing a boom. And the Russian market is far from being saturated. Reputed as being trendy, young, and modern, these sports are considered indicative of a wealthy lifestyle. The sudden enthusiasm for alpine skiing can also put down to the fact that Russia's political elite has discovered this sport as a new prestigious and expensive hobby. "President Vladimir Putin is an enthusiastic mountain skier and therefore, alpine skiing has become the new trend for Russia's upper class and political elite," Irina Antonova of Austria Tourism Moscow said. "His predecessor, former president Boris Yeltsin, was fond of playing tennis, which explained the sudden popularity of tennis. Now mountain skiing is the trend to follow." The market has reacted immediately to this lucrative fashion. Sport stores are stocking up on the latest ski equipment while travel agencies provide all-inclusive packages for popular ski resorts all over Europe.
Combining culture & sports

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One of the most popular destinations is Austria. Two-thirds of the country is in the Alps, whose mountains and valleys level out northward to the Danube river. Tourism is one of Austria's main sources of revenue, with 50 percent of tourist income generated during the winter season. This explains why an enormous amount of money is pumped into winter tourism to keep the stream of tourists flowing. More than 600 ski resorts scattered all over the country attract numerous vacationers by offering a broad range of sports activities for everybody's taste. Ski runs for all degrees of proficiency from challenging steep descents to powder snow trails and family slopes make everybody feel like the king or queen of the mountains. "One reason why Russians often prefer Austria to other ski areas is the availability of qualified and multilingual ski instructors. In most holiday resorts, ski schools offer courses in mountain skiing and snow boarding for beginners as well as advanced skiers. Since mountain skiing has only recently emerged in Russia, Russian tourists often ask for instructors," Antonova said. A further reason for choosing Austria as a holiday destination is the possibility to combine cultural sightseeing with sport. "Most popular ski resorts are situated near places of cultural interest like Salzburg or Innsbruck," Antonova said . "Russian tourists are often interested in visiting these cities and like the idea of combining sports with culture. And sometimes, Russians take the opportunity to spend a day or two at a local spa before going home." According to a market analysis conducted by the Austrian Tourist Board, most Russian tourists belong to the extremely wealthy upper class (the top 10 percent or about 15,000 Russian people) and the upper-middle class. More than half of all Russian vacationers prefer staying at 5-star and 4-star hotels. In the winter season 2003/2004 more than 90 percent of all Russian visitors decided to fly in by plane in order to avoid having to get visas to transit other countries. From the airport in Vienna or Munich the individual resort is then reached by train or bus and shuttle service provided by the travel agency. "Sometimes, Russian visitors also rent cars to be more flexible when it comes to exploring the resort's surroundings in their leisure off the slope," Antonova said. The analysis also includes a ranking of the most popular ski resort among Russian visitors. The list is topped by Zell am See, Mayrhofen and Ischgl, followed by Solden, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, St. Anton am Arlberg, Bad Hofgastein, Bad Gastein, and Kitzbuhl.
Zell am See

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Situated in the province of Salzburg, close to the Tyrol, the ski resort Zell am See is set on the shores of Lake Zell, 80 kilometers from Salzburg, Mozart's home town. Zell am See represents one of Austria's most popular and most-visited areas and is marketed with the neighboring village Kaprun as "Europe Sport Region." Statistics for the overall region include 130 kilometers of marked trails, 57 uphill facilities, and 200 kilometers of well-groomed cross-country trails. The top lift-served elevation at Zell is 2,005 meters, reached by cable car to the top of the Schmittenhohe. Kaprun offers skiing up to 3,030 meters by way of the Gletscher cable car up to the Kitzsteinhorn. The ski resort offers excellent skiing conditions for beginners and intermediate skiers with more than 50 kilometers of red and blue runs to speed down, including an 8 kilometer trail, the Schutt, descending the full 1,200 meter vertical back down to the resort. Advanced skiers have several semi-steep black runs descending through the forest back down to enjoy. Snow boarders can test their abilities at two half pipes and two fun parks. The fun park at Schmittenhohe hosts the annual opening of the Boarder-cross World Cup. The popularity of Zell am See is also put down to the fact that the ski resort provides year-round skiing. Glacier skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier rising to 3,203 meters is considered a must for those having sufficient control over their skis. The glacier can easily be reached by a ski bus which runs every 20 minutes during the high season and once an hour during the off-season. From the top, the view of the Grossglockner, Austria's highest peak, is spectacular. After 5 p.m., when most skiers have clipped off their skis or boards, the slumbering ski resort turns into a vibrant place known for its excellent night-life scene and numerous apres-ski activities in bars and restaurants.
Mayrhofen

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The ski resort Mayrhofen is situated in the beautiful Zillertal (Tal means valley), 70 kilometers from Innsbruck, the capital of the province of the Tyrol. The biggest ski area is on the Penken mountain at over 1,800 meters. Another ski area is located on the Ahorn mountain. Most runs on the Penken are suitable for intermediate to advanced skiers while the Ahorn ski area is considered a jewel of a beginners' area with exclusively easy descents around the top apart from the Ebenwald trail, a 5.5 kilometer-long slalom trail starting at the top of the Ahorn gondola. Advanced skiers have limited possibilities but can enjoy some runs on the Hintertux Glacier 20 kilometers from Mayrhofen, where 365 days of snow enable year-round skiing. Super-active skiers are recommended to get a ski pass for the Zillertal3000 ski region formed by the resorts Mayrhofen, Hippach, Finkenberg, and Tux to provide 157 kilometers of trails and serviced by 49 uphill facilities. Mayrhofen, which has retained the ambiance of a traditional Tyrolean village, is often referred to as the international capital of the Zillertal as it is a mecca for Dutch, British and German skiers. The village, which has the flavor of a small mountain town, offers a great number of off-slope attractions such as a fun pool complex featuring sauna, massage, whirlpool and a children's area as well as outdoor activities such as tobogganing, sledding, ice skating, sleigh ridding, snow hiking, and snow shoeing to entertain its numerous visitors. Engineering buffs might like to take a trip on an old time steam engine to enjoy the fantastic scenery. The Zillerbahn company started to operate its first engine in 1902 and continues their service to today. Day trips to Innsbruck or a walk around Mayrhofen to visit the Pfarrkirche church dating back to the 1600s and a wooden mill built in 1857 are well-known cultural highlights. Although Mayrhofen is particularly popular with families, the small resort also attracts party tigers and night owls of all kinds. Mayrhofen's apres-ski bars and discos are a popular destination at the end of the day, some of which run to the early morning hours.
Ischgl

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Situated near the Swiss border, 110 kilometers from Innsbruck, Ischgl is one of Austria's most prestigious ski resorts and a mecca for skiers and snowboarders alike. By far the largest ski area is the cross-border sector above Ischgl over to Samnaun in Switzerland, offering 200 kilometers of perfectly groomed trails, 37 lifts, 2 cable cars and 3 gondolas. Though the area lacks slopes for beginners and advanced skiers, visitors will be fascinated by the excellent snow conditions prevailing in this ski region. Due to its central location at a main watershed, the area benefits from two meteorological flows, which produce a lot of rich powder snow in winter and excellent corn snow in spring. Another distinguishing factor of Ischgl is the unusual length of the winter season. In contrast to other resorts, the season usually closes in April, making it a paradise for sun skiing. Skiers except beginners are recommended to buy a regional pass valid for the whole Silvretta Pass region, which is accessed by a free ski bus and offers 310 kilometers of trails, serviced by 66 lifts. Ischgl is reputed to be an expensive ski resort attracting better-off visitors for whom skiing often is more of a social than sporting event. The sun terraces at the irresistible mountain stations are always packed with cheerful crowds of visitors, who like to enjoy Spatzle, one of Austria's national dishes, or Germknodel, dumplings filled with plum jam. The ski resort has also become an attractive destination by hosting various off-slope events like an international snow culture competition, an international spring festival, and an Easter festival. Ischgl's season usually closes with the famous "Top of the mountain concert," which has been headlined international stars such as Elton John, Tina Turner, and Jon Bon Jovi. TITLE: Asian Warning System Urged PUBLISHER: The Associated Press TEXT: BANGKOK, Thailand - The extraordinary loss of life from Sunday's earthquake and tsunami waves is prompting Asian governments to consider developing a more comprehensive and effective warning system. Scientists nearest the quake's epicenter knew shockwaves could create tidal surges that would threaten coastal regions and shipping, but said Monday they had no way of measuring the size of the danger because a warning network like one used in the Pacific is not installed in the Indian Ocean. The technology might have saved countless lives Sunday by giving residents in coastal areas - especially in Sri Lanka and India, the hardest-hit nations hundreds of miles from the quake - time to flee to higher ground. Officials in Thailand issued the only warnings of the disaster, but broadcasts beamed to tourist resorts in the country's south underestimated the threat and a web site caution was not posted until three hours after the first waves hit. UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, who is also the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said he was not aware the region didn't have a warning system. He said the World Conference on Disaster Reduction next month in Kobe, Japan, will consider whether such a system can be designed and whether it is possible to evacuate such large coastlines with only a few hours' notice. TITLE: IN BRIEF TEXT: Sunnis to Boycott Poll n BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The largest Sunni Muslim political party is pulling out of next month's Iraqi elections - dealing a blow to U.S. hopes for credibility at the polls.