PREMIER FRADKOV: GOVERNMENTAL WGC-FORMING GUIDELINES NOT TO BE ISSUED BEFORE JUNE 25

VORONEZH, JUNE 24 (RIA Novosti) - A government directive to form wholesale generating companies will hardly be issued for a board-of-directors sitting of the company Russia's Unified Energy Systems, due on Friday, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has told journalists. He added that he has not yet seen its draft, submitted to the government by the company's boss Anatoli Chubais.

"I will hold a conference and see whether his proposals are in line with the decisions to reform the electricity sector and the law. We'll take a weighted-out decision with account for the experience gained in recent years", Fradkov said.

Asked straightforwardly if the directive will be issued after June 25, he said "may be".

Earlier, government representatives had said that the directive to the government representatives in the UES board of directors regarding the WGC sale mechanism would be prepared before June 25 (the day of the last sitting of the UES board of directors preceding the annual meeting of share holders). Without the governmental guidelines the representatives of government cannot cast their votes at the sitting. For this reason, the UES board could not for a long time consider all the questions related to the WGC.

Economic Development and Trade Minister Andrei Sharonov had said recently that the draft directive was ready, would soon be submitted for consideration by the government and looked into by the UES board on June 25.