PREMIER IS FRANK WITH MEDIA

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ (continuation) Q: What is going on Tavan tolgoi mineral deposit? When will be it put into economic circulation and when citizens will take the dividends? Premier: The coal extraction has been ceased there. For the time being, over one million ton of coal costing USD 30 million is stuck at the border checkpoint. Actually, if we supply this coal for the price by the original contract, we will face a loss of six US dollars per ton. So we are negotiating with Chalco to alter the agreement in favour of the mongolian side. Before the parliamentary election, the Mongolian side borrowed USD 350 million from the Chalco to repay in a form of coal. Some 170 million has been paid off, and if we continue paying the rest by coal, we will fall into a debt again. Q: The papers have issued a letter from Russia about an impossibility to participate in the "New Railway" project. Could You give us some details? Premier: The head of the Russian Railways V.Yakunin had addressed thisletter to me but it some how got into hands of the newspaper. It has published it, even with a translation. Only two days later I received it. I gathered officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the General Intelligence Agency and asked "what is going on, how did it come that the letter did not come to me?". Needless to say, it just goes beyond all ethics. I am afraid I have a reason to suspect that someone wants Mongolia to pick a quarrel with two neigbours, for instance, some say that the price boost here is triggered by Russia's increasing the petroleum prices. In reality, no blame attaches to Russia who did not make this increase but to those Mongolians who really want this price soar. This is not a joke at all. Another thing. We have all possibilities to import petroleum from the South Korea but some our corrupted people demanded their "share" and got them but Mongolia still does not have the petroleum from the South Korea. So I found all related documents and have given them to the General Intelligence Agency. These and other facts do prove that there is a lobby that tries hard to protect interests of the corrupted ones, to solve everything by money and even to make me a guilty party. Q: What about the renewable energy sources? Premier: A wind power plant will be completed in Salkhit soon, and such big projects are beginning these days. Q: The Government gave through the Mongol Bank soft loans to petroleum importers but the fuel prices increased. Why? Premier: By this we have achieved good results. If to calculate how Russia increased last six months its export tax on the fuel, here its prices would gave gone up by 316 togrog per a liter but did not happen. We prevented the price soar. Ch.Enkhtuya