Moscow, 18 December: [Russia's] new national security strategy is to be approved in February 2009, Russian Security Council secretary Nikolay Patrushev has said.

"We plan to adopt it in February at the session of the Security Council," Patrushev said at a meeting with the presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow on 18 December.

He said that the new strategy is designated for the period up to 2020, and it had already been discussed in all federal bodies.

"We have considered the plan of the strategy in all federal bodies, because there is considerable differences in the socioeconomic development of the regions. Even such a topical moment as the economic crisis has been perceived by the federal districts completely differently. Some have felt the crisis while others have not been affected by it," Patrushev said.

Furthermore, he said that all the Russian presidential envoys to the federal districts and the leaders of the regions have presented their proposals in the draft national security strategy.

"If you had seen the draft of this strategy in the form it was in when we distributed it for discussion, and if we compare it with the draft strategy we have today, then [you will see that] they are completely different documents. It (the draft strategy - Interfax) is now much more weighty," Patrushev said.

He also said that amendments would be made to the strategy if necessary.

"We suspect that life will bring up some corrections, and the Security Council should see those aspects that are required to add to the strategy in time," Patrushev said.