MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sulim Yamadayev...

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sulim Yamadayev survived an attempt on his life and has sworn to take revenge on Chechnya"s leader, a Russian daily said on Wednesday, citing the former Chechen military commander"s brother. Russia"s consul general in Dubai questioned the report on Wednesday, saying police had said Yamadayev was shot dead on March 28 in the car park of a luxury seaside apartment block in Dubai, and buried at a local cemetery. The Kommersant newspaper reported that Sulim had tried to declare a vendetta against President Ramzan Kadyrov and his cousin, State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov, via an influential Muslim cleric in Chechnya. However, Isa Yamadayev told the paper that the mullah refused to convey the message to the clan, as is required by tradition. Mullah Nurid-hadzhi Kimayev in the Russian North Caucasus republic"s second largest city Gudermes confirmed he received a phone call several days ago from a man who claimed to be Sulim. "I lived next door to the Yamadayev brothers for a long time, and I know the family very well. But I have not seen or heard from Sulim for years and could not be sure I was speaking to him," the cleric told the paper, adding he would not have conveyed the message anyway as he did not want to be part of a blood feud. Sulim, who served as the commander of Russia"s Vostok battalion in Chechnya, fled the republic last year after a clash between his troops and Kadyrov"s guards. The paper said "the procedure was not observed" and as a result the blood feud was not "formally" declared. Isa Yamadayev told the paper he personally would seek legal punishment for those behind the attempt on Sulim and the murder of their elder brother Ruslan in Moscow last September. In the latter case, Russian police have arrested one suspect, a driver, and several Chechens, including Delimkhanov, have been put on an international wanted list as part of the probe into the Dubai shooting. The lawmaker strongly denied any involvement in the case. Russia"s constitution does not allow the extradition of Russian nationals accused of crimes in other countries. Isa said Sulim was only injured and is now in a Dubai hospital under police guard, adding that they were in contact via the Internet, the paper reported. The Russian consul general in Dubai, Sergei Krasnogor, said: "Dubai police officials, including the police chief, have repeatedly confirmed to me that Sulim Yamadayev had been killed and buried at a local cemetery." Russian diplomats earlier acknowledged they had not been provided with documentary evidence of Sulim"s death.

Russian and U.S. negotiators will wrap up...

Russian and U.S. negotiators will wrap up a new strategic arms reduction pact in the very near future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - The...

MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian automotive industry is to receive $2 billion in foreign investments within the next two or three years, but experts warn current policy may put it at risk, a respected business daily reported Wednesday. Vedomosti wrote that Trade and Economic Development Minister German Gref believed that the automotive industry was thriving because of a decision to reduce import duties on foreign car parts. He said four investors were ready to sign investment agreements and another six were in negotiations. A ministerial official said Gref was referring to investment agreements with the Avtoframos Russian-French joint venture, and Severstal-Avto and IzhAvto, which both produce South Korean cars. Overall investment now respectively total 230 million euros, $75 million and $90 million. Toyota has already started building a plant in Russia and will also sign a similar agreement soon. Gref estimated this investment at $1 billion this spring, the paper said. Vedomosti quoted Yelena Sakhnova, a market watcher with the United Financial Group, as saying that carmakers were planning to earn more on foreign, rather than Russian, models. "For instance, EBITDA at AvtoVaz (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) totals 10.4%, whereas companies assembling foreign cars in Russia earn at least 15%," Sakhnova said. According to the paper, easy-term customs clearance makes this business even more profitable. IzhAvto earned just $4 million in 2004. By assembling KIA Spectras, it hopes to make $200 million in net profits in five years. Since 2002, $1.15 billion has been invested into foreign-car assembly projects in Russia. A partnership between American giant General Motors and domestic producer Avtovaz had invested $338 million by the time it opened a plant and then pumped in another $195 million, the paper reported. The paper said that experts had warned about potential risks with the government"s current auto-industry policies. Alexander Agibalov, the managing director of AG Capital, told the paper: "China once had big tax breaks, but the policy created large concerns and one-day companies. The latter used the privileges they were entitled to and then curtailed production. The problem is knock-down assembly does not require major investment."