09 June 2004 08:52
RUSSIA WILL NOT CHANGE DECISION ON SAKHALIN-3 PROJECT
A press release from the Russian Natural Resources Ministry says
that Deputy Natural Resources Minister Anatoly Temkin made this
MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) - The Russian government will not reconsider its decision to cancel the results of the
tender for the Sakhalin-3 project.
statement during a meeting with Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Energy Department Kyle McSlarrow.
Temkin said that "this decision is final." He also said that there have been no reasons to reconsider this
decision. "If such reasons are found, the Natural Resources Ministry will analyze them," Temkin said.
Currently, the Ministry is preparing a project on the conditions for a tender to sell oil deposits at Sakhalin-3,
Temkin added.
The deputy minister said that at the moment there are two main
concepts of the law: the first is based on civil law, the second -
In late January 2004, a government commission on implementing production agreements had cancelled the results of the
1993 Sakhalin-3 tender won by ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco.
The press release also says that during the meeting the sides discussed Russian-U.S. cooperation in the sphere of
legislative support for the geological sector, particularly with the preparation of a new law on subsoil resources. They
also touched on participation by foreign companies in the development of fields on Russian territory.
Temkin said that the general ideology of the new law "will be the principle of openness, transparency and
competition." In the near future the Russian Economic Development and Trade Ministry will submit the law to the
Natural Resource Ministry to be developed further. Work on the draft law should be completed in about November-December
2004.
administrative law. "The process of creative discussion is underway, in which all interested departments and
representatives from the business community are participating," he said.
[Interfax] |
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