15 April 2004 17:42
Moscow press review for April 15, 2004
MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - The following is a digest of Moscow newspapers published on April 15. Interfax does not
accept liability for information in these stories. POLITICS & ECONOMICS
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov set out the government's program
in a speech to the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's
Russia has secured a breakthrough in WTO negotiations, convincing the European Union to drop demands that the country
liberalize its gas market. The last serious hurdle - complaints that Russian domestic gas prices are below cost - could
be removed by summer (Vedomosti, p. A1).
parliament. Priorities include fighting poverty, health care and education reform, and building a competitive economy
(Kommersant, p. 2; Izvestia, p. 1; Vremya Novostei, p. 1).
Ukrainian pro-presidential parties and parliamentary factions named Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich as their single
candidate in the October presidential elections, essentially designating him as President Leonid Kuchma's successor
(Kommersant, p. 1).
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov warned that unprecedented money supply growth combined with a shortage of
investment instruments could threaten the Russian economy (Moscow Times, p. 1).
OIL & GAS
Yukos CEO Simon Kukes published an open letter in the Financial
Grigory Marchenko, the architect of Kazakhstan's financial reforms, resigned his post as first deputy prime
minister Wednesday over a reported conflict with other cabinet members. President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed him as
a presidential aide (Vedomosti; Kommersant, p. 11; Moscow Times, p. 5; Vremya Novostei).
KES, a company controlled by aluminum and oil magnate Viktor
Vekselberg, has come up with its own proposals for completing the
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office is proposing to toughen rules for refunding value-added tax to
exporters, Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov said on Tuesday (Vedomosti, p. A1).
Interview: Oleg Vyugin, head of the Federal Financial Markets Service (Vedomosti).
Times asking company shareholders to make up their minds on whether or not to go ahead with the merger with Sibneft
(Vedomosti, p. B1; Kommersant, p. 1; Moscow Times, p. 3; Vremya Novostei). UTILITIES
Boguchany Hydropower Station, which is the subject of a dispute between electricity monopoly Unified Energy System
and Basic Element, the company that controls Russian Aluminum (Vedomosti, p. A1; Kommersant, p. 17). RETAIL &
CONSUMER GOODS
number capacity because regulators have so far failed to grant a
request for a new area code, which could force the company to revise
Moscow wholesaler Khoroshy Vybor has signed a franchise agreement with the Independent Grocers Association (IGA) of
the United States, and intends to sell sub-franchises to small Moscow stores (Kommersant, p. 13).
The Economic Development and Trade Ministry on Wednesday stopped issuing licenses to import meat under quotas,
reportedly because the State Customs Committee incorrectly calculated shipments under quotas. This could mean the
ministry might cancel licenses already issued (Kommersant, p. 13). TELECOMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
VimpelCom, Russia's number-two mobile provider, is running out of
financial forecasts. VimpelCom's share price tumbled 6% on the news (Vedomosti, p. B1). [RU ASIA EUROPE EEU EMRG
PRESS TEL KZ RET FOD TRD REGS ELG MRG ENR CRU MCE POL UA]
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