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Decision to improve national security strategy mere technicality - source

MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - The national security strategy will soon be changed to reflect the proposals made at a session of the Security Council chaired by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday, a source at the Russian Security Council told Interfax on Wednesday.

"Overall, the document has been approved, but because of the constructive proposals that were made, it was decided to add them to the Strategy," the source said.

Allegations that it was decided not to adopt the document pending the outcome of the forthcoming U.S.-Russian high-level meeting are baseless, he said.

"This is a strategic document. There is no intrigue here. The needed additions to the strategy is a purely technical matter," the source said.

The Kommersant daily newspaper wrote on Wednesday that the decision to refine the strategy was due to the thaw in the relations between Moscow and Washington.

"The draft strategy discussed at a meeting with members of the Russian Academy of Sciences late last December contained a "Providing National Security" section which listed Moscow's most likely enemies. And although no names were not given in the list, it was totally clear from the document which leading nation is likely to cause trouble," Kommersant wrote.

The day earlier Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that the SC session focused on the draft Strategy and methodology annexes.

"And although the Security Council has earlier approved the draft strategy, a number of proposals have been made by its members to improve it. We were given one month to improve the document. This does not mean fundamental changes to the strategy, but some adjustments will be made to it," Patrushev said.