* U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said:
- Washington is not ready to sign a long-term strategic or offensive arms limitation deal with Moscow
- the West should not be expected to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, a critical arms control deal in Europe, until Russia pulls out troops from Georgia and Moldova
- deploying elements of the U.S. missile defense system in Central Europe will not be aimed at Russia
* Israeli commanders threatened to launch a military operation in Gaza if Palestinian militants fail to stop firing rockets at Israel within 24 hours, the Palestinian Information Center said
* Iran's Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani called for fresh initiatives in the ongoing negotiations over his country's controversial nuclear program ahead of a meeting with the European Union's foreign policy chief
* There are no obstacles to rebuilding relations between Tehran and Washington, which were broken off over 20 years ago, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said
* Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, said:
- there are no political obstacles for Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Iran, as the project does not violate the nuclear non-proliferation regime
- Armenia and Russia are discussing participating in an international uranium enrichment center
* The foreign ministers of the 27 European Union countries expanded the list of Iranian officials and entities banned from entering the EU at a session in Luxembourg
* Russia and Iran signed a deal to provide stable financing for the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the south of the Islamic Republic, the project's chief contractor, Atomstroyexport, said
* The Russian Foreign Ministry said it is firmly against Estonia's plans to exhume and rebury the remains of Soviet soldiers buried near the Bronze Soldier statue in central Tallinn
* French presidential candidate of the ruling conservative party Nicolas Sarkozy and his main Socialist rival Segolene Royal face a second round after failing to gain more than 50% in Sunday's vote that witnessed an almost record turnout
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia and Turkmenistan may expand cooperation in the gas sphere
* Felix Kulov, an opposition leader and ex-premier of Kyrgyzstan, said the authorities' crackdown on the opposition in the wake of massive rallies in the capital was aimed at intimidating opponents and stifling democracy
* Russia will not hold talks with the "alternative government" of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, a Russian deputy foreign minister said
* Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first ever democratically elected leader (1991-1999), died at the age of 76 of long-term heart trouble
* About 150 Russian companies intend to hold initial public offerings (IPO) in the next two years, which could bring in $30-50 billion, the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange president said
* LUKoil Overseas, the overseas oil and gas production arm of LUKoil, completed a $980-million deal to sell a 50% stake in Caspian Investments Resources Ltd. to Mittal Investments, the company said
* India launched its first rocket with a third-party payload on a commercial basis, IANS news agency reported
* Moscow and Washington will continue a dialogue on American missile defense plans in Europe, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said
