Russia, NATO Prepare New Afghanistan Transit Deal – Media

[FarCenter]

Russia and NATO may soon sign an agreement that would ease cargo transportation from Afghanistan via Russia’s territory, the Kommersant daily reported on Friday.

Moscow is in talks with NATO on the so-called “multimodal” cargo transit from Afghanistan, which would “increase the efficiency of NATO withdrawal… by using various transportation means within the same route,” an unidentified high-ranking diplomat told the paper.

Another diplomatic source said the talks on the agreement were in their final stage, adding that the deal may be signed in the very near future.

In line with the new scheme, cargos from Afghanistan would be delivered to the Russian Volga city of Ulyanovsk by plane, and then transferred to Europe by train.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120203/171106288.html