ISRAELI MINISTER IN RUSSIA.

Avigdor Qahalani, Israel’s internal security minister, completed a two-day official visit to Russia last week. During his stay, Qahalani had talks with Russia’s internal affairs minister (and deputy prime minister) Viktor Kulikov, and with the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service, Nikolai Kovalev. The two sides signed an agreement on measures to ensure security on civil aviation — which will allow Israeli security personnel to carry weapons on flights to Russia — and pledged joint efforts to fight international crime. Qahalani admitted that large numbers of Russian immigrants have brought an increase in crime to Israel, but denied the existence there of a Russian Mafia per se. (Itar-Tass, August 20-22; Ekho Moskvy radio, August 21)

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