N e w s

One of the world's largest platinum producers Norilsk Nickel company still cannot begin the metal export even after the export quotas have been signed. According to the first deputy general director of Norilsk Nickel Yury Kotlyar, the monopoly exporter of all Russian platinum state enterprise Almazyuvelirexport did not receive a license on export of the metal. The license should be signed in Finance, Trade and Economy Ministries. In his opinion, the state is not yet certain what to do with its own platinum in the Bank of Russia and Gokhran. "First they will decide on their own metal and only then free the way for me", - said Kotlyar. Russian platinum gets to the world market from three sources - Gokhran, Bank of Russia and Norilsk Nickel through single channel - state export enterprise Almazyuvelirexport. Earlier the head of Gokhran Valery Rudakov said that Russian platinum will be exported by Norilsk Nickel and the Bank of Russia which buys the metal from Russian producers. The main part of the quota belongs to Norilsk Nickel and "a little", according to Rudakov, to the Bank.

/Interfax/