Putin appoints Sobolev as Russian Security Council secy

Moscow, July 18 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Valentin Sobolev as acting secretary of the Security Council after Igor Ivanov tendered his resignation, the Kremlin said today.

Mr Sobolev, who spent most of his career in Russia's state security apparatus, is considered ''a man on the President's team''.

''He is a serious professional, a team player, who has spent many years in this state security sphere,'' a Kremlin source told RIA Novosti news agency.

Mr Sobolev was appointed deputy head of the Security Council in 1999.

The source said there were no plans to restructure the Security Council and made no comment on the future plans of Mr Ivanov, a Foreign Minister in 1998-2004 under Boris Yeltsin and then Vladimir Putin.

Russians Security Council was set up June 3, 1992, and is chaired by the Russian President.

The first reports indicating that Mr Ivanov was planning to step down came earlier this month.

Mr Ivanov said he was not going to get involved in politics and was considering a career in academia.

''I have a doctorate degree in history and I am planning to devote most of my time to teaching and scientific research,'' he told RIA Novosti.

He also said his resignation followed the accomplishment of the tasks set by the Russian President prior to his appointment to the post in 2004.

''When Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed me as secretary to the Security Council in March 2004, he set a number of concrete tasks, which I believe I have accomplished,'' Mr Ivanov said.

UNI