GAZETA
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has not submitted his proposals on the government structure to the president yet. On Tuesday, he said that there was still some time left, and that this work would be completed by Thursday. Gazeta quotes the head of the cabinet as saying that the proposals on the cabinet structure would be followed by recommendations on its line-up.
NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA
The leadership of the "2008: Free Choice" committee has announced the adopted proposals on the formation of democratic forces' coalition in Russia. The main task was formulated long ago: victory at the 2007 parliamentary and in the 2008 presidential elections. The list of the main figures has only just been announced, NG reports. So, "the committee believes that today the politicians and public figures aspiring for success with Russia's democratically-minded voters are: Garry Kasparov (many-time world chess champion), Boris Nemtsov (former leader of the Union of the Right Forces), Vladimir Ryzhkov (independent Duma deputy), Irina Khakamada (former leader of the Union of Right Forces), and Grigory Yavlinsky (leader of the Yabloko party).
In essence, these five figures will be at the core of the united democratic coalition, NG reports. Although the committee members admit that some other recognisable persons might be included on the list for the primaries by 2006, the proposals clearly state that without the abovementioned five, the coalition loses any point. The coalition will only be formed after these politicians sign "a common democratic platform" and the document formulating the formation principles of the coalition. Hence, Khakamada's idea to include all the more or less familiar democratic figures on the primary list has apparently been rejected, NG reports.
VREMYA NOVOSTEI
The current Moscow negotiations between the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchy have yielded more questions than answers. Nevertheless, both sides have hurriedly announced that they are content with the results of the meeting. "The task has been accomplished, the first official negotiations between the church leaders have opened the door for the negotiating process," Metropolitan Kirill, chief spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchy, said about the visit of the foreign guests to Moscow. "We have all the conditions for joint efforts before God," chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia's commission for negotiations with the Moscow patriarchy Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany said rather vaguely, VN reports.
KOMMERSANT
Kommersant reports about the agreement signed to lay an oil pipeline from north-eastern Kazakhstan to China. The new 1,200-km pipeline will be built as part of the second phase of the project to transport oil from a deposit in the Caspian Sea, western Kazakhstan, to China by the end of 2005. However, Russian companies will be able to use the new oil pipeline to deliver oil to China before the third and the longest part of the projected pipeline from western Kazakhstan to China is completed.
According to Mikhail Perfilov, an analyst in the Argus oil and gas agency, "Russian oil companies working in western Siberia are truly interested in exporting oil to China through the new pipeline." According to him, they intend to use about 50% of the pipeline's capacity.
