Cabinet to meet on gas sector's reforms next week

Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov will hold a meeting devoted to reforms in the domestic natural gas industry on March 19 or 20. Kasyanov talked to journalists about these plans himself today. "We must receive answers to a whole set of questions on this sector and make corresponding decisions," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying. He hopes that controversial issues will be resolved.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin announced that the government, as the largest shareholder of Russia's gas monopolist Gazprom, would insist on a reduction in expenses, improving the efficiency of the company's work but it would "support no plans on its (Gazprom's) break-up or division".