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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Rebuke in the Checkbook

8 December, 1998 - 00:00


With no pay or other sources of income, it is definitely impossible
to heat apartments at $80 per 1000 cubic meters, and thus the government
is trying to pretend to work for price reduction.

The chairman of the national stock company Naftohaz (Oil & Gas)
of Ukraine Ihor Bakai told Interfax-Ukraine that his company had already
purchased from Russian commercial structures seventeen billion cubic meters
of natural gas for consumer use in 1999. According to Bakai, the natural
gas has been already delivered to Ukraine, and since the accounts for it
had been settled on the barter basis, the price was "considerably below
$80 per 1000 cubic meters of natural gas."

We failed to reach Mr. Bakai to verify the report from the agency, which
works closely with the government, because he is staying in Moscow almost
without interruption actively negotiating with Gasprom, according to the
First Deputy Chairman of the Haz Ukrainy Trading House Serhiy Sokolov.

However, experts of many natural gas agents and organizations, including
Derzhnaftohazprom of Ukraine, questioned by The Day, denied the
possibility of purchasing such amount of gas, or its delivery to Ukraine,
or the success of the price reduction attempt.

Prime Minister Valery Pustovoitenko has indirectly confirmed this by
rebuking Bakai on November 23. The rebuke was prompted by a telegram from
Rem Viakhirev, Gasprom chairman. According to Ukrainski Novyny, it began,
"In connection with the Ukrainian party's complete negligence of issues
regarding payments for gas ..."

Meanwhile, experts say, the rebuke only suits to decorate the checkbook
of Bakai. There will be neither the mythical low-priced natural gas nor
payment for the gas consumed.

This rebuke would have distressed Bakai, if it had put him in the red.
But in the form it was, it could only make him laugh.

 

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