Sberbank requests compensation for failed Opel deal from GM.

MOSCOW, December 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's retail savings bank
Sberbank is about to address GM with a request for voluntary compensation
of the costs it had sustained to prepare for an aborted acquisition of
Opel, Sberbank's CEO German Gref told the Vesti news channel in an
interview on Friday.

"We do not believe that the explanations offered why the deal was
canceled were sufficient either in form or in content," he said. "The
company was obliged to perform that transaction and the way it canceled it
left us unsatisfied."
"We sustained certain costs over that deal, so now we are in the
process of negotiations with the company. We have formulated all of our
related costs and addressed the company with a request for a voluntary
compensation. If our proposals are not accepted, we shall press for a
solution in a court of law," Sberbank's CEO said.
Gref remarked it was a great pity the transaction had failed.
"I had been certain we would be able to gain a lot from that deal.
What is most important, though, we would give a very different
technological impetus to the development of the automobile industry and
the related sectors of the economy. We need this sector of the economy as
a gulp of fresh air to get away from the economy's dependence on raw
materials," he said.
Opel - a German automobile manufacturer established in January 1863,
delivered its first automotive products in 1899. General Motors took over
it in 1929.
In early 2009, Opel's future looked very bleak as the global financial
crisis was pushing GM towards bankruptcy.
On September 10, 2009, it was announced that a consortium of the
Canadian-Austrian firm Magna and Russia's Sberbank and GAZ Group would buy
a majority stake of 55 percent GM's European Opel and Vauxhall operations.
A short while later, though, on November 3, the GM board of directors
made a decision against selling Opel to the consortium. GM Chief Executive
Officer Fritz Henderson explained that the business climate in Europe had
improved and his company's financial position firmed considerably.

.Putin takes a look at Sochi's airport through passenger's eyes.

SOCHI, December 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin on Friday inspected the entire compound of buildings and facilities
of the newly-built airport in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the
venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Transport Minister Igor Levitin reviewed the achievements made of late
and the issues still to be addressed. Levitin promised that a second
runway would be finalized next autumn. Its length of 2,980 meters will
allow for accommodating planes bound for any destination inside Russia.
Also, Levitin touched upon some changes that had to be introduced to
the original version of the project. Putin first studied the layout of the
airport compound, and then the mock-up. Levitin said that Sochi's airport
would be able to let in and out twenty-four planes an hour, which fully
meets the requirements of the International Olympic Committee.
In reply to the prime minister's questions Levitin said there would be
no disruptions with financing during the New Year and Christmas holidays.
"All infrastructures will be finalized on time," he said adding that
the necessary funds for finalizing the complex had been reserved in the
budget.
Levitin raised the question of lifting the tax on property, which, he
claimed was crucial to upgrading two other airports, in Anapa and
Krasnodar.
"If we fail to do this, private investors will have to pay up to 500
million rubles a year. For this reason we are unable to start doing
anything in Anapa or Krasnodar. We are asking for support from the
governor and at the federal level," Levitin said.
At present the Transport Ministry is waiting for a flight schedule to
be presented the International Olympic committee and for applications from
individual countries.
"Each delegation and all guests will enjoy a separate approach.
Participants, athletes, the IOC and guests - all will be entitled to
special treatment," Levitin said.
Then the prime minister was invited to take a look at the airport from
the standpoint of an ordinary passenger. Putin was told that on November
10 through December 21 the new airport serviced 47 flights and about 1,400
passengers and handled 500 pieces of luggage.
According to the airport's official the working commission on December
23 authorized the checkpoints and the airport would be prepared for
international flights in the near future. All of the IOC's arrivals are
serviced at the newly-built terminal.
Putin inspected the registration desks and then moved on to the
luggage handling area, which, he was told, was one of the most advanced
ones.
"There is even a special system of luggage inspection for flights from
unstable regions," the airport's official said, adding that departing
passengers were to go through four examination stages.
Sochi's airport is designed to service passengers and luggage on both
internal and foreign flights. Its throughput is 2,500 passengers an hour,
including 500 passengers going through the international terminal, and
2,000 through the domestic one.
The airport's B sector has operated in the test mode since September.
By now all construction work has been completed and tune-up and adjustment
work has been finalized on examination equipment, luggage-handling
facilities and the registration desks.
The airport started operating in the test mode during the Sochi-2014
forum that was held on September 16-20. Then it serviced 142 flights and
665 passengers. Since November 10 the airport has accepted 47 flights,
1,380 passengers and 506 pieces of luggage. Construction work at sector C
has been completed 97 percent.
During the second phase the boarding gallery with ten telescopic
gangways will be built and a VIP-terminal designed and constructed. The
flows of departing and arriving passengers from internal and international
flights will be completely separated. One- hundred-percent luggage control
will be effective on both international and domestic flights.

-0-str