RYBKIN SAYS AGRARIANS ARE HIS ALLIES.

Even though AgrarianParty chief Mikhail Lapshin has said his party will run independentlyin the December parliamentary elections, Duma speaker Ivan Rybkinwho is putting together his left-center electoral bloc said theAgrarians were his allies, and he expressed surprise at Lapshin’srecent comments, Russian radio reported July 24. In other electionnews, Federation Council speaker Vladimir Shumeiko told Interfaxthat he believed the election campaign itself would make it moredifficult for Moscow to continue its economic reforms.

Russia Increases Oil Exports.