Tatar-Bashkir Report: September 29, 1999

29 September 1999
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Tatarstan And Moscow Officials Discuss Cooperation Prospects
Tatarstan's prime minister, Rustam Minnikhanov, and the first deputy chairman of the Moscow government, Boris Nikolskii, met in Moscow on 28 September to discuss the development of a network of gas stations in the Russian capital, Tatar government's press center reported. The two also talked about the development of a program to support defense industry enterprises while visiting the federal scientific-industrial center Pribor. A program involving Moscow's Pribor center and Tatarstan's Sergo plant is being conducted within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement between Kazan and Moscow. The general manager of Tatarstan's Tatneft oil company, Shafagat Takhautdinov, and his counterpart at the Sergo plant, Radik Khasanov, attended the meeting.

Interior Ministry To Maintain Order During Election Campaign
Tatarstan's interior minister, Asgat Safarov, said the main tasks for the Interior Ministry during the ongoing electoral campaign are to protect public order and security and not to allow criminals to interfere with administrative bodies. Safarov made his comments at a joint meeting of ministry officials and the republican Central Election Committee members on 28 September. Safarov said that in the case of inquiries made by the Central and local election committees, interior bodies will carry out background checks of candidates but that information will not be presented to candidates. Another issue brought up during the meeting was the safety of election documentation. The Central Election Committee chairman, Marat Sirayev, asked for help in putting a stop to the bribing of the electorate and to exert some control over expenditures for electoral campaigns. To be able to handle these requests, it was decided that a special joint group would be formed that included representatives from the republican Finance Ministry, Tax Police, Tax Service, Central Election Committee, and the Interior Ministry.

Election Committees Being Formed In Tatarstan
The Central Election Committee decided on 24 September that 130 local election committees will be formed in Tatarstan's administrative okrugs by 4 October, Tatar-inform reported. The committees will organize elections to the State Council and local deputies set for 19 December. Under law, half of the committee members will be proposed by the acting Council Presidium, while the other half is put forward by local administration heads based on proposals made at voter meetings.

Strategy For Tatneft Development Discussed
Tatar Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov said that the Tatneft oil company should stabilize its oil extracting efforts while growth in the volume of oil extracted should be realized in 2000 due to the formation of Tatarstan's new independent oil companies. Minnikhanov, who chairs the managing board of Tatneft, made his comments at a board meeting in Elmet on 27 September, the Cabinet of Ministers' press service reported. Minnikhanov said this goal requires the introduction of new technologies into the oil extracting industry. The main issue discussed at the meeting was devoted to Tatneft's main technical-economic indices for 2000. The managing board also considered a strategy for Tatneft development in regions outside of Tatarstan.

Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova