PRESIDENT MEETS HEAD OF EITI SECRETARIAT

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia /MONTSAME/ The State Head Ts.Elbegdorj has received a delegation led by Mr Jonas Moberg, a head of the Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in frames of the official visit to the Kingdom of Norway. Stating that weighing some four kilograms research reports about Mongolia are accumulated in the EITI, Mr Moberg said a real information about Mongolia is vital in "making its state transparent and in setting up the justice". Mr Elbegdorj said Mongolia will always support the EITI's activities, adding the research materials accumulated must be sounded to the public in a comprehensible manner. Present at this meeting were L.Bold, the Foreign Minister of Mongolia; L.Purevsuren, an advisor to the President; and Ch.Otgochuluu, a Department Head of the Mining Ministry on strategy and planning. Founded in 2003 by Tony Blair, the EITI increases transparency over payments by companies from the oil and mining industries to governments and to government-linked entities, as well as transparency over revenues by those host country governments. A former UK Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short is chairing the EITI now. As of June 2011, EITI was implemented in 35 resource rich countries around the world. 29 countries have produced EITI reconciliation reports. Mongolia joined the EITI in 2006. B.Khuder