MPs Urge Government to Obstruct AES, UES Deal

(Tbilisi, August 1, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Irakli Chubinishvili, chairman of the parliamentary special commission, which investigates the reasons of the energy crisis in Georgia, calls the Government of Georgia to file a lawsuit against the US company AES in the London Court of International Arbitration. 
 
He claims deal between the AES and Russian Unified Energy Systems is illegal, as agreement between the AES and Georgia, signed in 1999 is violated. Chubinishvili said that under the agreeme!
nt between Georgia and AES, the US company had no right to sell its assets in Georgia before 2004.

At the same time he warned the MPs that the entry of the UES, which is the Russian state-owned company would lead to monopolization of the Georgian energy system by Russia.
 
?The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Georgia remains without functions, since the Russian side will take over the entire energy system of Georgia,? Irakli Chubinishvili said at the special session of the Parliament on August 1.
 
The MPs urged the members of the government, including the State Minister, to come to the Parliament and report over the issue.