05 May 2004 08:49
DIGEST OF HEADLINE NEWS
Minister Kudrin has said. "It is still early to discuss what kind of
amnesty and in what form it should be," he told the newspaper
*** Making things worse for pensioners in totally unacceptable as housing construction and social matters are
considered, Russian President Vladimir Putin told government chiefs on Wednesday. In a week, he said, when the
government takes up issues involved in housing construction, housing for war veterans and making housing available in
general must not be forgotten. "I hope that these questions will be sufficiently worked through," Putin said.
"All decision have to be based on this fundamental principle: not worsening peoples' situation." ***
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said that all major 2004 macroeconomic targets will be met. "I can say with quite a
high degree of confidence that all major macroeconomic targets set for this year, including inflation, will be
met," Kudrin told a Wednesday session with President Putin and senior governmental officials. The government
"has a sufficient number of instruments" to achieve its objectives, the minister said. "I hope that our
performance will match the forecast and all targets will be met," he said. Putin suggested holding a session on
macroeconomic issues either this week or early next week. *** It is not yet time to discuss amnestying capital in
Russia, Finance
Thus, compared with closing the previous day, capitalization was
down $3.14 billion, or 1.5%. Gazprom is the market value leader at
Kommersant. He rejected statements that he is a firm opponent of amnesty for Russian business, which grew up in 1990s
conditions. Kudrin noted that the capital amnesty in Kazakhstan and Italy was different in goal and implementation, also
in result. Quite a lot depends on the country itself, Kudrin said. "I think that we have not yet come to the
understanding that this has to be done in Russia. Everything being said now is desire, not a deep analysis of the
situation." *** Finance Minister Kudrin will take part in the G8 gathering in New York May 22-23, his press
secretary Gennady Yezhov told Interfax. *** The government will consider a national road works program for the period
until 2025 at its meeting May 6 chaired by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. The government's press service has
announced that Transportation and Communications Minister Igor Levitin will present the project draft. *** The
capitalization of the Russian stock market, calculated on the basis of paper traded on the RTS, which including the
market value of Gazprom stood on Friday at $212.263 billion.
$46.163 billion, followed by Yukos at $30.245 billion and Surgutneftegas at $23.222 billion. Capitalization was at
$176.52 billion on December 31, 2003, so it has increased 20.25% since this year began. *** An appellate court in the
United States has rejected a $3 billion suit filed by trading companies controlled by entrepreneur Mikhail Zhivilo
against Russian Aluminum and its chief Oleg Deripaska, on the grounds that the case should be heard in Russia. *** The
Uralkalii board of directors selected Vladislav Baumgertner for company president at the end of April, the company has
reported. He had been its commercial director prior to this appointment. It was reported earlier that the board had in
early March accepted the resignation of Baumgertner's predecessor Maxim Shirokov, who had decided to move to
another job. *** Ruhrgas AG is engaged in the early stage of cooperation talks with Nortgaz, as the German company is
interested in working with Russian companies other than Gazprom, the Germany newspaper Handelsblatt reported. ***
Ukraine's State Property Fund is planning to offer around 95% of the stock in Krivorozhstal, one of the
country's largest metal product producers, in a privatization tender in May, the fund reports, citing its chair
Myhailo Chechetov told Interfax. "The entire state packet will be up for sale, excluding the easy-term sale this is
around 95%," Chechetov said.
[Interfax] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
