Press Review

		Izvestia Kommersant Nezavisimaya Gazeta Noviye Izvestia Rossiiskaya Gazeta Vedomosti

Izvestia
www.izvestia.ru

Speaking at the International Conference in Rome on Monday, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov stated that Russia has its own approach to the further development of the anti-terror operation that somewhat differs from the American one. Moscow and Washington, viewing terrorism as a terrible threat to civilization that must be eradicated, have different positions regarding what targets to strike next. The story comments on the minister's statement, focusing on major differences. (1,4, Gazeta, 2, Vremya Novostei, 2, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, 1, Krasnaya Zvezda, 1, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 4)

Having recently returned from the Antarctica, a Russian expedition led by famous polar explorer and State Duma Deputy Speaker Artur Chilingarov, has run into an unpleasant situation. The United States has demanded a compensation for a special operation to save the expedition, while the Russian participants assure that there was no such operation ever took place. In an interview, Chilingarov, head of the Polar Explorers Association, speaks about the expedition, its aims, and talk of a U.S. rescue operation. (1,2)

In an interview, former Pardons Commission head Anatoly Pristavkin, now presidential aide in pardon issues, talks about his new job, focusing on his intention to create an expert council composed of former Pardons Commission officials. (1,3, Kommersant Daily, 9, Vremya Novostei, 2)

In an exclusive interview taken on the eve of his appointment, South Korea's newly-appointed Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Tsoi Son Hon talks about the positive results of his visit to Moscow last week, concentrating on the rapidly expanding bilateral economic relations and joint projects between Moscow and Seoul. (1,7)

President Vladimir Putin Monday spoke about a great significance of a next week's collegium of the Prosecutor General's Office and instructed the Security Council to make all the necessary preparations for it. Security Council head Vladimir Rushailo commented on the president's instructions. (2)

Deputy Moscow Mayor Oleg Tolkachev Monday called on journalists to come out against an uncivilized property re-division between federal and city authorities. In Tolkachev's opinion, the Kremlin property department would like to oust City Hall from the building of the former Council of Economic Security on 36, Novy Arbat Street. The story describes the conflict. (2)

The story examines the positive results of Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's visit to the United States, focusing on his meeting with President George W. Bush. (2, Kommersant Daily, 1) Noviye Izvestia, 1, Vremya Novostei, 1, Vremya MN, 2, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, 1,2, Gazeta (excerpts from his speech at the World Economic Forum on Feb. 3), 2)

Foreign Minister Sergei Ivanov said Monday that Afghanistan's Defense Minister General Fakhim-Khan will visit Moscow in mid-February. The story examines the aims and tasks of the visit. (3)

The story describes a favorable end to the intrigue surrounding TV-6 Director -General Yevgeny Kiselyov's Land Rover which was confiscated on Feb. 1. (3, Kommersant Daily, 3, Gazeta, 3, Vremya Novostei, 3, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 2)

The U.S. Consulate in Moscow has failed to issue an entry visa to Shamil Tarpishchev, a member of the International Olympic Committee. The story describes how U.S. General Consul James Warlick explained the situation. (3)

The Obshchestvennoye Mneniye Sociological Fund conducted a poll among 1,500 respondents in 44 regions late last month to see how Russians view corruption. The story comments on results of the survey. (4)

The story examines several provisions of the new Criminal Code that will enter into law on July 1. (4)

Kazache-Mallevany villagers are happy to receive gas in their houses thanks to a presidential order to ensure gas supply to this village in the Krasnodar region. (4, Gazeta, 1, 3)

The Coordinating Council of the State Duma (S.D.) centrist factions on Monday decided to request the Audit Chamber to check up the financial and economic activities of the S.D. The story concludes that this inspection may bring fresh problems to its head Nikolai Troshkin. (4, Kommersant Daily, 1, Noviye Izvestia, 2)

Legislators and state bureaucrats are in a hurry to take advantage of the opportunities that have become available since the adoption of the Land Code. Officials have now begun to discuss selling prices of state, city and municipal land. The story describes how it's being done. (5)

The story reports on how Arthur Andersen is trying to save its reputation damaged by the Enron scandal. The firm has made hasty proposals to the Russian government to reform the export oil market. (5, Kommersant Daily, 5)

Rosneft, Alyans Group, and Kazakhoil on Monday signed an agreement on the joint exploitation of a Kherson oil refinery in Ukraine. The agreement marks the first time Rosneft has emerged on the Ukrainian market. The story examines the deal. (5, Kommersant Daily, 5)

The British Imperial Tobacco company is to increase it market share by 25 percent when the company buys the German Reemtsma company. The story comments on the upcoming deal. (5)

The creation of the Russian Railways company is likely to be postponed. The story reveals the essence of Railways Minister Gennady Fadeyev's statement at a roundtable discussion in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday. (5, Kommersant Daily, 4)

The Gazprom Board of Directors on Monday set the date for their annual shareholders' meeting to June 28. Directors also discussed a proposal to issue $500 million in eurobonds as well as adopted a list of Gazprom candidates for the company's new Board of Directors. The story offers the list (6, Kommersant Daily, 4)

A mineral fertilizer shipment complex opened Monday in the eastern port in Nakhodka. The story examines its huge capacity and its significance to regional economy. (6, Kommersant Daily, 4)

The Felix Company, a leader in Moscow's office furniture market, intends to expand and consolidate its positions in the regions. Company head Ilya Kondratyev stated that Felix plans to use a franchising system in regions. The story comments on the company's plans. (6)

Six leading domestic insurance companies have announced a creation of the Russian Anti-Terror Insurance Pool that has been initiated by Ingosstrakh. The story describes the project and its aims. (6)

For the first time in Russia, a part of a ministry's responsibility will be passed on to a non-state structure. Such an agreement was made between Yevgeny Primakov, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Property Minister Farit Gazizullin. They also signed an agreement to draft a new scheme of evaluating the state property. (6)

In an interview, Hewlett-Packard Marketing Director for Central, South and Eastern Europe John Sow discusses his views on the world and Russian computer markets. (6)

Kommersant
www.kommersant.ru

Rudolf Nezvetsky, chief of the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) Information Board, stated Monday that the ROC plans to create its own television company entitled Sport Rossii and will ask the Press Ministry to postpone the tender for the right to broadcast on the TV-6 frequency. The story comments on the statement. (1,2)

The upper house of the Yakutian State Assembly is to consider the organization of the republic's new government. Head of government, Vyacheslav Shtyrov on Monday submitted a list of those whom he would like to see in his government. (2)

The story describes how disputes between deputies and department heads may deprive Russia of ecological aid from the World Bank. (2)

The 9th session of the Inter-Bank Currency Council began its work in Pskov on Monday. It is attended by Belorussian National Bank head Pyotr Prokopovich and Central Bank head Viktor Gerashchenko. The story examines its agenda. (2)

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on Monday announced that he has decided to prolong the mandate of Russian peacekeepers in the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict. (2)

Zinutela Bilyaletdinovhas returned to Moscow's Dynamo Club as the hockey team's chief coach. (3)

The State Duma (S.D.) Banking Committee Monday recommended the S.D. pass a draft bill concerning mortgage emission securities. The story comments on the document, focusing on its expediency. (4)

On Monday, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin announced a budget surplus for January. The story examines how it was formed. (4)

The Wall Street Journal on Monday declared that the quality of Mercedes automobiles has deteriorated. (5)

Krasnoyarsk Coal Company Director-General Viktor Guskov stated Monday that the coal sales have drastically decreased due to warm winter this year and increased competition on the domestic market. The story comments on his statement. (5)

NAUFOR on Monday published the rankings of Russian investment companies and banks on the basis of exchange turnovers in 2001. The story comments on results. (7)

The story looks at the unprecedented amount of passenger air travel in 2001. Two diagrams compare air travel in the USA and elsewhere after the Sept. 11 terrorist acts in the USA. (8)

Nezavisimaya Gazeta
www.ng.ru

This year the Kremlin intends to hold a constitutional referendum as well as nation-wide elections in Chechnya. The story examines this positive development in relation to the republic. (1)

Former Director-General of Gazprom-Media Alfred Kokh intends to offer his investment services to TV-6 Director General Yevgeny Kiselyov for participation in the March 27 tender for the TV-6 frequency. The story comments on the offer, noting that even sworn enemies may theoretically become business partners. (1,2)

After the government failed to follow the presidential instructions to carry out government reform, President Vladimir Putin has invited his representatives, the governors-generals of the federal districts to do the job. The story examines their major tasks. (2)

At the end of this week, both the Central Election Commission and the Justice Ministry will hold a joint session to discuss issues pertaining to the implementation of a law on political parties as well as other electoral legislation, in preparation for up-coming parliamentary elections. (2)

The process of dividing Russian society into two categories ?€” the wealthy and the impoverished ?€” is continuing. According to the State Statistics Committee, 31.6 percent of overall cash income in 2001 belonged to only 10 percent of the population, while the poorest 10 percent of population only owned 2.3 percent of the countries wealth. In an interview, Liliya Ovcharova, Research Director of Programs at the Independent Social Policy Institute, comments on the situation, focusing especially on a huge gap in the distribution of wages which threatens the country with serious social and economic consequences. (3)

UES head Anatoly Chubais is participating in an energy summit being held in New York within the framework of the Economic Forum. In an interview, he talks about the summit and about his personal expectations. (3)

A step to increase the power of the Energy Ministry was taken last week when Energies Minister Igor Yusufov was nominated as a candidate to the board of directors of leading fuel and energy monopolies ?€” Gazprom and Unified Energy Systems. (3)

The story describes how numerous poachers are robbing the wealth of the Siberian taiga, and how this process has acquired an industrial scope. (5)

Noviye Izvestia

Deputies Vladimir Yuzhakov and Vladimir Ryzhkov have submitted the draft of a federal anti-corruption bill to the State Duma entitled the Code of Behavior of the State Employees. They view it as their contribution to the crackdown on corruption. The story examines its major provisions. (1,2)

The daytime temperature on Sunday was 4.2 degrees Celsius and broke the 1906 daytime high record of 3.5 degrees. Brief. (1)

According to the Obshchestvennoye Mnenie Fund's reports, the number smoking men in Russia is 62 percent while women smokers make up 13 percent of the female population. The brief offers some other figures on smokers. (1)

The United Russia party on Sunday announced a grandiose project to have the party leaders of all regions invited to Moscow for a 10-day training course. The story examines the project. (1,2)

Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov is to fly to Delhi Tuesday to attend a session of the Russian-Indian Inter-Government Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation the following day. The story examines Klebanov's priority tasks. (2)

Over the weekend, Krasnoyarsk governor Alexander Lebed sacked his 12 aides and announced a competition to fill the vacancies. The story describes the governor's decision. (4)

Novosibirsk paleontologist Igor Grebnev wanted to give a present ?€” a mammoth that he personally dug up ?€” to the Mammout firm for its great assistance to Russia in the operation to raise the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine. Unfortunately, this kind act of thankfulness was put to a stop when customs officers confiscated the fossils and accused the scientist of illegally trading of cultural values. The story gives details. (5)

Rossiiskaya Gazeta
www.rg.ru

The Biodez plant with modern European-standard equipment has been built in Lytkarino and is to launch a line of disinfectant medications this month. The story describes the enterprise. (1,5)

The story describes a demonstration staged by convicts in a maximum-security prison in the Slavyanovka village in the Kaliningrad region. Living conditions at the prison were so intolerable that 62 convicts opened their own veins in protest. (1)

Russia is unlikely to limit its oil exports as news of a possible extended U.S. war in Iraq sent oil prices have soaring. The story comments on the process. (2)

Gazprom plans to sell its 25 non-related facilities, including NTV, in March (3)

Breeders of Taimyr reindeer will have to undertake a unique operation soon when they drive a thousand reindeer from the Yamal peninsula to a state-controlled farm. The brief explains the aim of the operation. (3)

As testament to the high priority environmental protection now occupies, scientists, policy-makers and economists gathered together in Moscow late last week for a two-day conference focused on the role of science in drafting and implementing state policy in the sphere of nature resources development and environmental protection. The story examines the conference's conclusions. (7)

A new procedure for filling in customs documents when importing household electronic appliances to Russia is to be introduced on Feb. 12. The story examines the procedure. RG Biznes Supplement. (1)

A priority draft bill concerning bankruptcy is to be considered by the State Duma. In an interview, Tatyana Trefilova, head of the Federal Service on Financial Recovery and Bankruptcy, examines the new document, focusing on the major differences between the new draft bill and the previous law it is to replace. RG Biznes Supplement. (2)

Alexander Petrikov, Director of the All-Russian Institute of Agrarian Problems, offers an in-depth analysis of the draft Land Code. RG Biznes Supplement. (3)

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has launched a wide-scale privatization of enterprises, over 70 percent of which is in the hands of the state. The story comments on the campaign and its specific features. RG Biznes Supplement. (7)

The question of whether or not Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization will threaten to agriculture was discussed at a special conference held in Moscow late last week. The story looks at several effective conclusions. RG Biznes Supplement. (8)

Vedomosti
www.vedomosti.ru

World Bank Executive Director for Russia Andrei Bugrov has quit his job in the bank in order to head an investment department being created in Interros Holding. Before his departure Bugrov stated that he was discouraged with the way the bank assesses the results of its cooperation with Russia. (A1)

The indices of business activities in Russia in January fell to a record three-year low. Industrialists, however, optimistically look to the future, hoping that the situation will change for the better in spring. (A1)

Wimm-Bill-Dann shareholder Gavriil Yushvayev spent 9 years in a Soviet concentration camp. The company warns its investors that Yushvayev's criminal past may negatively affect the rate of the American depositary shares of the company. (A1)

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin stated Monday that the federal budget showed a surplus for January. Brief. (A1)

A transfer of Ukraine's Armed Forces from the 4-type to 3-type structure is to be completed by 2003. This was stated Monday in Kiev by General Staff chief Nikolai Palchuk. (A1)

The Moscow Tax Police Service filed 495 criminal cases in 2001, 1.5 times more than in 2000. "This tendency is irreversible, since the city tax police incessantly steps up the efficacy of its investigation of criminal cases," said agency head Viktor Vasilyev. Brief. (A1)

American companies it seems continue to buy Russian-made arms. A production order being discussed in the United States today could yield Russia up to $1 billion without any tender. (A3)

In what way will the creation of the Directorate of Russian Railways affect the work of the Railways Ministry? Five experts share their viewpoints on the issue. (A4)

Yevgeny Yakovlev is Director General of the Siloviye Mashiny concern that was created by Interros Group in November 2000. The concern comprises 4 industrial enterprises, the Energomashexport Company and the LMZ-Engineering Company. In an interview, Yakovlev talks about his company, minority shareholders, company strategy, the competition and the company's plans to participate in foreign investment projects. (A5)

Vedomosti. Companies and Markets

Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky stated that his company is willing to spend $4 billion to purchase oil refineries and marketing networks in Western Europe, particularly in Germany. The story comments on his interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt. (B1)

Ilim Pulp has spent about $200 million to end a conflict with Russian Aluminum shareholders. Ilim Pulp controls 42 percent of pulp production in Russia. (B1)

The shareholders of the Starik Khottabych trading network intend to launch an industrial holding. The story reveals its ambitious plans. (B1)

The Gazprom Board of Directors Monday approved a strategy to govern the company's property. The story examines it in detail. (B1)

Deputy Railways Minister Sergei Grishin has decreed that all agreements on leasing freight wagons be revoked before March 15, and should be revised on general grounds. The story examines what brought the minister to such a decision. (B2)

The Crown trading company is continuing to lobby for the sale of Russian export oil through a special exchange. Arthur Andersen proposed this idea to the company. (B2)

The Rostovugol Board of Directors on Tuesday will make a decision to liquidating the company and create a new coal company in its place. Vladimir Syomkin, chief of the company's analytical center, stated this. (B2)

After losing the right to export oil in 2001, Gazprom head Alexei Miller is seeking that export rights be restored to the company. The plan however, contradicts Energy Minister Igor Yusufov's intention to pass over Gazprom's export volumes to Kazakhstan. (B2)

LUKoil has suspended the transportation of oil through the Ventspilsdnafta oil terminal. This was stated by management board head of the LUKoil -Baltiya -R company, Khaim Kogan. Brief. (B2)

The Moscow City Telephone Network has published its report on the company's financial results in 2000 according the GAAP standard. The story examines how this report has affected the network's shares. (B3)

IMPEXBANK on Monday announced the launch of a system to transfer rubles instantaneously. The cost of such services is modestly low. (B3)