News Roundup - September 2, 2007

Freedom House: Kazakhstan Signs Optional Protocols: Focus Now Shifts to Implementation

Kazakhstan’s recent signing of optional protocols to international conventions on civil and political rights, as well as on torture, is an encouraging first step, Freedom House said today. The focus now shifts to implementation of those commitments...
Trend News Agency: Kazakhstan to Export over 8 Million Tons of Grain until June 2008

Kazakhstan‘s agriculture ministry is claiming its grain exports will reach 8 ml tons until July 2008. "A month-to-month schedule of grain shipment shows that until June next year Kazakhstan will export above 8 ml tons of grain,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dulat Aitzhanov said on Monday to the Cabinet...
EurasiaNet Insight: Corruption Getting Worse in Central Asia
Uzbekistan ranked as the most corrupt Central Asian state, coming in at 175th out of the 180 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2007. Turkmenistan was pegged at 162nd, while Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan all tied for 150th place. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand were shown to be the cleanest country in the 2007 survey...
CNN Money: Kazakh Min:KazMunaiGas Likely To Develop Project N On Its Own
State-owned oil and gas company OJSC KazMunaiGas is likely to develop the Caspian exploration block 'N' on its own, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sauat Mynbayev said Tuesday...
CNN Money: KazMunaiGas Doesn't Have To Be Kashagan Operator-Min
Kazakh state oil and gas company KazMunaiGas doesn't have to become operator of the massive Kashagan oil field as part of a solution over the development of the field, Kazakh Energy Minister Sauat Mynbayev told reporters Tuesday...
Interfax: KazMunaiGas to Raise $1.05Bln Syndicated Loan
Kazakhstan's KazMunayGas will raise a syndicated loan totaling $1.05 billion, a source familiar with the details of the deal told Interfax. The loan will be for one year. Preliminary agreement was signed last week with BNP Paribas, Citi and Societe Generale...
Trend News Agency: Polish, Lithuanian Presidents Push Ahead with Odessa-Brody-Plock Pipeline Cooperation
Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said talks are positive regarding the Ingalina joint nuclear project, as well as work on the Odessa-Brody-Plock oil pipeline and the Sarmatia joint venture, which will implement the pipeline...
Reuters: Ankara Mayor Sees Gas Tender Completed by End-Nov
A tender to sell off the Turkish capital's gas distribution grid will be completed by the end of November, the city's mayor told Reuters in an interview...
Gazeta.KZ: 600 Companies from 33 Countries to Take Part in Kioge 2007
KIOGE-2007 Exhibition and Conference started in Almaty. More than 600 companies out of 33 world countries will take part in the event, as reported KZ-today correspondent...
EUX.TV: Mood of National Self Confidence Shapes Energy Battle
The battle for control of Eastern Europe's power sector is taking shape against the backdrop of a new sense of national self confidence across the region with moves underway to fend off foreign incursions into the industry and worries about the growing threat posed by Russian energy interests...