Russia's Gazprom to Yield Control of Eni Assets

Russia?s gas monopoly Gazprom and Italian energy giant Eni are likely to hold negotiations on "a very important agreement ", Italian Vice PM and Foreign Minister Massimo D?Alema said.

The new document will be of strategic significance, the sources say, if only Eni yields control of its assets to Gazprom.

Otherwise, the parties will confine to joint projects of constructing oil and gas pipelines in Turkey and Gazprom will independently attempt to jump into Italian market of end users in 2007.

"We are interested in Italian networks of gas distribution, energy assets and LNG projects in Egypt and Libya,? Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller specified a bit later.

Miller said some time before Gazprom was in talks with Eni to acquire subsidiaries of the latter - Snam Rete Gas (SRG) and EniPower.