Gazprom head says plan new foreign issue

[Reuters]

YEKATERINBURG, Russia, Jan 30 (Reuter) - Russian natural gas
monopoly RAO Gazprom <0GAZP.RUO> plans to issue new securities
on international markets, but not until at least the end of
April, chairman Rem Vyakhirev said on Thursday.
``We are ready to go onto international financial markets
with some specific issues,'' he told reporters.
``There are a number of possibilities. The first is already
ready, two more are being looked at, but we need to wait for 180
days from the first sales of paper on the international market.''
Gazprom launched its American Depositary Receipt (ADR)
programme on October 22, 1996, raising $430 million with the
issue.
Vyakhirev had said in October 1996 that Gazprom would wait
six to seven months before issuing another tranche of ADRs,
which are foreign-traded share look-alikes that are traded
abroad and backed by shares in the home country.
Gazprom ADRs in Berlin traded at 35.30 marks at 1655 GMT on
Thursday, down from 36.60 marks at Wednesday's close.