| June 2006 |
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Russia and Italy have agreed to work out a mechanism for consultations on Iran's controversial nuclear program, the Russian leader said Tuesday. 
Russia and Italy have similar approaches to the Middle East peace process, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. "Our approaches to Middle East settlement are almost identical," Putin told a news conference after talks with Italy's new prime minister, Romano Prodi. 
Russian companies will receive access to Italy's energy market in exchange for Italian companies obtaining access to Russian oil and gas deposits, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Tuesday. 
A Russian presidential aide said Tuesday the "imminent" launch of a North Korean ballistic missile was largely a matter of psychology. "Let them launch it first and then we will see whether it will fly, where it will fly, and whether it can reach its target in the first place," Igor Shuvalov said. 
Russia is not going to ratify the Energy Charter soon, a presidential aide said Tuesday. "The Russian Federation has signed the Energy Charter," Igor Shuvalov said. "The principles contained in it are correct, but Russia will not yet undertake any commitments to ratify it." 
Russia is neither preparing nor expecting any surprises when the leaders of the world's most industrialized nations meet in July, a presidential aide said Tuesday. 



