IZVESTIA
Afghanistan sees its future as a transit country on the way from the Indian Ocean to Central Asia, Hamid Karzai, head of the interim government, said at the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. Karzai was invited as a guest but very nearly became a player. However, he was pushed back by Chairman Hu Jintao of China, who had promised to grant nearly $1 bln for the development of trade between SCO member countries.
"Our organisation is entering a new development period," the leaders of the SCO (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). The thing is that the SCO, set up three years ago, has at long last elaborated its statutory documents. Its first practical action was the ceremony of official opening of the operating Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), created to exchange information concerned with the struggle against terrorism.
"We will challenge the drug barons," Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmonov said at the summit. "It would be highly useful to join efforts," agreed Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who introduced a new term, "external anti-drug security belts." ("The requisite mechanisms have been created but I don't think much will be reported on this sphere of operation," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Izvestia.)
One thing on which the six leaders could not agree was the growth of the drug traffic from Afghanistan after the beginning of the counter-terrorist operation, but the most modest estimate was by three times. The Central Asian leaders are unanimous that they cannot fight this powerful flow single-handed. "My country is like a buffer zone that protects not only itself; we are suffering; Tajikistan is suffering," Rakhmonov said, appealing for help.
NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA
The statement that Vladimir Putin made in Tashkent concerning the lack of desire to bankrupt Yukos encouraged a powerful growth of the company's shares. "The Russian power, the government, and the economic authorities do not want to bankrupt such a company as Yukos," the Russian president said in reply to journalists' questions. In his words, the problem of tax claims to Yukos "is the issue for judicial bodies; so far, they are counting the debts. ...But the government will do its best not to ruin the company."
On the other hand, the president thinks discussions of such issues as bankruptcy are an extremely delicate matter. "Any word can be interpreted in a variety of ways by the company's rivals, its supporters and the company itself," said Putin.
But the president has uttered the key words and the market reacted immediately: Yukos stock on the RTS exchange jumped by 34.19%, forcing the RTS to stop trading in Yukos securities until the end of the day.
VREMYA NOVOSTEI
The 8th St Petersburg International Economic Forum was marked by a notable event for the Russian transport system: the opening of a new oil terminal of LUKoil in Vysotsk, Leningrad Region. It is a brilliant example of partnership of the state and a private company, which is the foundation for implementing the most complicated, outstanding infrastructure projects. The throughput capacity of the new distribution/transhipment complex is 4.7 mln tons a year. Light oils will be exported via the terminal to Europe and the USA. The opening of the terminal in Vysotsk will reduce export costs by $5-7 per ton compared to prices at the terminals in Lithuania and Estonia.
GAZETA
A new law on currency regulation will come into force in Russia today. From now on, Russian citizens are free to open accounts in foreign banks. Until recently, they could do this only with a special permission of the Central Bank of Russia, which was to be presented in any foreign credit organisation together with identity papers. One exception was stipulated for those who lived abroad temporarily. But even they could use their accounts in Western banks only while abroad and had to close them upon returning to Russia.
The new law on currency regulation, adopted in December 2003, lifts all these limitations.
