Russian Government: Situation On World's Oil Markets Is Predictable

Russian Vice-Premier Viktor Khristenko believes that the current situation on the world's oil markets "gives grounds to speak of its predictability in the near future." Presidential press secretary Alexei Gromov reported that Khristenko had provided President Vladimir Putin with a detailed update on the situation on oil markets at their meeting Thursday. Gromov quoted Vice-Premier Khristenko as saying that the stabilization on oil markets early this year had resulted mainly from coordinated efforts by the OPEC member states and by petroleum-producing countries outside this organization, with Russia among these latter. As he met with Khristenko, President Putin wondered what kinds of measures were taken to deal with emergencies arising from complicated weather conditions in the Littoral Territory, on the Russian Pacific Coast, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, and in northwestern and southern Russia. The President and the Vice-Premier also discussed problems of reforming the electrical power industry.