MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti) Washington trying to weaken Russian and Chinese nuclear defenses/Belgium to become Russia's gas foothold in Europe/Russia seeking niche on world aircraft market/Buyer of Yukos gas assets to become Gazprom partner/Gazprom and Transneft to set up their own security divisions
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Washington trying to weaken Russian and Chinese nuclear defenses
Viktor Yesin, former head of the Russian Strategic Missile Force's Headquarters, said the United States wants to deploy a global missile-defense system comprising ground and naval elements, and eventually including space-based weapons, to destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
He said its stated purpose to defend against "rogue states," such as Iran and North Korea, is a mere pretext to deploy a global missile-defense infrastructure.
In order to accomplish that objective, the White House has conceived of a concept to achieve control over all of near-Earth space, Yesin said.
He said the United States would have no trouble reinforcing its available ground infrastructure and increasing the number of missile interceptors from 10 to 100.
According to Yesin, Washington's plans to involve Ukraine in the global anti-ballistic missile system serve as a logical continuation of its drive to attain undisputed military superiority and to decrease Russian and Chinese nuclear defense capabilities.
In 2000, Russia and the United States signed a memorandum of agreement on the establishment of a Joint Center for Early Warning Systems Data Exchange and Missile Launch Notifications, Yesin said.
He said the document was never implemented and was mothballed on Washington's initiative last year.
The United States openly confronted Russia on the issue of missile defense, withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and moved to attain global superiority, Yesin told the paper.
Yesin said the potential of Russia's strategic nuclear forces would be seriously degraded if the United States deploys all three missile-defense echelons.
That would directly threaten Russian national security, because Washington could dictate its will to Moscow from a position of strength, he said.
Yesin said a narrow-band U.S. early-warning radar, due to be set up in Georgia, will monitor Iranian missile launches, whereas a wide-band radar, similar to the one to be built in the Czech Republic, will scan Russia's Kapustin Yar firing range, where ICBM warheads are tested.
That will provide the Pentagon with priceless information about Moscow's strategic nuclear forces, and the hypothetical threat to Russian national security may soon become real, Yesin said.
Gazeta
Belgium to become Russia's gas foothold in Europe
Russia has long used its gas reserves as political currency in its relations with the European Union.
At a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt Friday, President Vladimir Putin said the two countries could build a large gas storage facility in Europe, from which gas could be delivered to third countries, first of all, to Britain.
Belgium has agreed to become Russian state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom's foothold in the EU, unlike Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted a similar proposal by Putin last October.
Most probably, she did not like the price - an additional 55 billion cubic meters of gas from the huge Shtokman gas field in the Barents Sea annually starting in 2015. Gazprom has corrected its mistake, this time exchanging the gas storage facility for diamonds.
Belgium was made an offer it could not refuse. Its economy is known not so much for gas transit as for its centuries-old diamond cutting centers.
Antwerp is the center of its diamond-cutting and trading business. It has dozens of cutting factories and four diamond exchange bourses.
In 2008, the city's diamond industry could face an acute shortage of raw materials, because the European Commission will de-monopolize the diamond market alongside the energy sector, which means that De Beers, the diamond super-monopoly, will no longer be able to sell diamonds from Russia's state-owned monopoly Alrosa (which controls 23% of the global market) through its network.
Belgium could now become a new distribution center for Russian gas in Europe, Verhofstadt said.
Ahead of his visit to Moscow, he announced that the country would not object if Gazprom decided to buy its national gas distributor, Distrigaz, which has to be sold ahead of the forthcoming merger between Suez and Gaz de France.
Belgium does not share the fears of some other EU members about closer cooperation with the Russian gas giant, the prime minister said.
Gazprom does not conceal its aspirations to gain access to European retail networks and, first of all, to conquer the British gas market, where at present it controls just 4%.
The company's management hopes to increase its share to 10% by the end of the decade.
Kommersant
Russia seeking niche on world aircraft market
The United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) of Russia intends to back a new project to develop and produce a wide-bodied short- and medium-haul passenger jet.
It feels that market niche is currently unoccupied. Users agree the plane will be much sought-after, but only on condition that production begins soon and the price is competitive.
Experts estimate market demand to be for at least 400 units, and development and production investments at $200-500 million.
According to Viktor Livanov, general director and designer of the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, it is going to be a wide-body aircraft designed to carry between 275 and 350 passengers, with a range of 4,000 to 5,000 kilometers (2,500 to 3,125 miles). The new model can be equipped with two foreign-made engines, such as Rolls-Royce.
In the view of UABC President Alexei Fyodorov, this type of plane is currently unavailable in the world, apart from the obsolete Il-86s (developed in the 1970s, seating up to 350 passengers, and with a range of up to 3,800 kilometers, or 2,375 miles).
"In the wide-bodied sector, we will occupy a niche left undeveloped by the two world giants - Boeing and Airbus," Fyodorov said. "These are planes with a large carrying capacity, but with relatively short flight distances."
He said no close study had yet been made of the niche, but said it was "large enough." According to Federal Industrial Agency director Boris Alyoshin, the numbers involved "may run into the hundreds."
The Chinese market for aircraft like the Il-86 is larger than Russia's," said Oleg Panteleyev, head of analysis at Aviaport Agency. He estimates that Russia may order about a hundred such planes, and China about three hundred.
Russia has already suggested a joint realization of the project to China. "But Beijing has not yet replied to the Russian proposals," Ilyushin's Livanov added.
"The plane will interest carriers if it costs 30% to 40% less than indirect Western counterparts and meet future international requirements for safety, noise and engine emissions," said Vladimir Davydov, CEO of Atlant-Soyuz airlines.
Vremya Novostei
Buyer of Yukos gas assets to become Gazprom partner
The decision to sell three Yukos assets that are of great interest to Gazprom as one lot was apparently made to order for the Russian state gas monopoly.
However, Gazprom, which fears new litigation in the United States, will most likely act through an agent.
An auction for the property of oil major Yukos, which was declared bankrupt last August, has been set for April 4.
The lot includes 20% in Gazprom Neft (formerly known as Sibneft), and 100% in Arctic Gas (former Severneftegaz) and Urengoil, which have combined reserves of some 500 billion cubic meters of gas.
The lot also includes about a score of minor unprofitable assets.
Gazprom, which most definitely wants Yukos' gas assets, is unlikely to file a direct bid.
Sources close to Gazprom said that although 100 billion rubles ($3.82 billion) has been appropriated in its investment program for 2007 for the acquisition of the 20% stake in Gazprom Neft, the monopoly does not want to give U.S.' law a chance.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and state representatives on Gazprom's board of directors cannot travel to the United States now for fear that bailiffs will greet them there with notices of suits filed by Yukos' minority shareholders.
Still, Gazprom will find a way to take over Gazprom Neft, Arctic Gas and Urengoil. The most probable method is to form a consortium of Russian utility company ESN and Italy's energy concerns Eni and Enel.
Gazprom may buy out ESN's share in Energogaz (an ESN holding where ESN owns 51%, Eni 30% and Enel 19%), or buy the shares of Gazprom Neft and controlling stakes in the gas concerns.
That would make Gazprom a bona fide buyer and give the Italian partners a share in mining assets on Russia's territory.
At the same time, that would help Gazprom acquire stakes in Eni projects in Europe, in line with their memorandum on a strategic partnership.
Vedomosti
Gazprom and Transneft to set up their own security divisions
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has received a bill allowing energy giant Gazprom and Transneft, the Russian oil pipeline monopoly, to set up their own security divisions on a par with several other ministries and departments.
Viktor Ilyukhin, deputy chairman of the State Duma's Security Committee and the bill's co-author, said the more frequent siphoning of oil and gas has necessitated amendments to the law on weapons and the law on supplies for state needs.
He said that the poorly equipped security divisions of Gazprom and Transneft cannot currently deal with bandits.
The security divisions of both monopolies will have the same rights as departmental security guards, because the law on departmental security, rather than the law on private detective and security agencies, will allow their personnel to use weapons against intruders and in self-defense.
Gazprom and Transneft security guards will be allowed to search people, their personal effects and vehicles. They will also have the right to use weapons outside of restricted areas and to purchase submachine guns and assault rifles.
A source close to the economic security division of Russia's Federal Security Service said Gazprom and Transneft have until now lacked security agencies similar to those of the monopoly Russian Railways and the Industry and Energy Ministry.
Ilyukhin said the latter are equipped with machine guns to guard power plants and the power-transmission networks of utilities giant United Energy Systems (UES).
According to the source, Soviet authorities believed power plants and railways were likely to be attacked by enemy saboteurs, but thought pipelines were less vulnerable.
Nikolai Bezborodov, a member of the State Duma's Security Committee, said UES, another strategic sector, will soon receive the same prerogatives.
Gennady Gudkov, another member of the lower house's Security Committee, said Russian monopolies want to have the same right to use weapons as federal ministries.
"Russia's several dozen strategic companies will now move to set up private security firms," Gudkov told the paper.
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