On November 28, 2007 was held the Meeting of the Government of Georgia. The agenda consisted of 36 items.
In the beginning of the Meeting the Prime Minister of Georgia Vladimer Gurgenidze provided to the members of the Government the information about his meetings with the vice-president of News Corporation Mr. Martin Pompadour in the past days. The Prime Minister stated that as he is ascertained this issue is of much interest for the society, the more so as the information about the visit of one of the top managers of NewsCorp in Tbilisi has been spread citywide. Indeed, - he stated, - on November 22, after the approval of the members of the Government of Georgia at the Parliament, I had the telephone conversation with the manager for Europe region of News Corporation Mr. Martin Pompadour whom I have known from the business sphere for more than 10 years. On November 25-26 we had meetings with each other whereupon Mr. Pompadour came back to London. Be informed in brief about our questions, requirements, or, our requests and conditions, as it has been spread the information as if we have some non-constructive position or are requesting in excess.
We, stated the Prime Minister, raised some issues which concerned the actual ownership structure of TV company IMEDI, its disposal etc. We asked NewsCorp to show to use any contracts made between the shareholders, other documents, evidencing the shareholding structure of IMEDI, because the documents on transfer of shares dated the end of October-beginning of November available for the Georgian lawyers evidence 100% transfer. If 100% transfer took place in the end of October, it is simply impossible to understand, not saying more, those statements which were made a year and a half, one year ago etc. when there was stated that NewsCorp were already the holder of shares, the shareholder. This fact was not proved by the Georgian registrar's and other's data, so we have asked the documentary proofs for this. In addition, we have asked to provide us with the minutes of meetings of the shareholders meetings and meetings of supervisory board held within the past year, a year and a half, the contracts or similar documentation, if such are available in connection with IMEDI management, the so called management contracts. We also asked for the information about the financial standing of company IMEDI since the date of its establishment, i.e. the information about the financing of this company during all those years, especially in the latest period, because according to the available information submitted to the tax authorities IMEDI is a loosing company. These were our questions. One who is aware of business affairs will agree that in any organized business retrieval and transfer of any documents, in case of owner's will, requires some hours only as all these documents are standard. Any company shall have its business in good order and information about it shall be available.
As to the conditions, requests and requirements we have fixed our will to meet NewsCorp management as one of the players of the media space of this country, as well as our claim to NewsCorp to be not a player of a strange role in company IMEDI but the real holder of 100% shares or its controlling stock. However, we have not got the adequate response. Thereafter we have motioned another question regarding the owners of this company. We have asked them to provide their personal data in order to establish who is the real owner. This request is quite realistic and the requirements provided are the same as the criteria in any other business sphere, say, in the banking, which is also very sensitive. Moreover, subject to comprehension of the priority importance of this issue, we have proposed to NewsCorp to solve the problems as soon as possible. We have agreed on some main principles which would in future transfer to the legislative sphere and be applied equally to all media but not only IMEDI. We have spoken about it during the meeting with them. In addition, we have asked to provide us with the possibility of examination of the full financial information and data, including the information about IMEDI associates, and should IMEDI be loosing, about the sources of financing and coverage of loss. We would like NewsCorp to be the guarantor of authenticity of such information and we believe that in this demand there is nothing unnatural, non-constructive or impossible.
And finally, subject to the priority of this issue, we have proposed to NewsCorp to establish a kind of a public media board or similar body without any legislative and such on functions. We mean the moral and ethic aspects. We have also proposed a kind of staffing from the nongovernmental side, from the side of NewsCorp itself etc. as in our legislative space there is not yet any professional or ethical standards. We have proposed that during the pre-election period this board should use the UK media ethical and professional code. As you are aware NewsCorp has been very successful within the UK. It owns 40% of the largest cable TV company. Accordingly, they are aware of the UK ethic standards, and they are admissible and understandable for them. We have also proposed that either this board or the advisory body should appear by TV once a week and discuss the issue on any mistake committed, act omitted or any defect contravening those ethical standards by any broadcaster within the past week. Naturally, we mean that these standards should be applied to all channels operating in Georgia but not to IMEDI only.
In addition, we have also mentioned that the work of those journalists who are carrying out the political activity is not reasonable for TV channels. These were our proposals and conditions. You shall agree that they are neither unrealizable nor non-constructive. We had two meetings whereupon Mr. Pompadour came back to London where he continued consulting with his partners, colleagues both inside NewsCorp and outside it. We are waiting for the response and proposals. During the meeting they said only one or two conditions were inadmissible. Practically, there is one issue only which regarded our wish to see NewsCorp in the Georgian space as the only owner of this or that media. Indeed, may be it is really impossible. The subject of discussion was the real picture which we are lacking now or which we have in a distorted kind. The available picture is rather strange because against the background of our year-and-a-half news that NewsCorp is IMEDI's partner, co-owner etc., the registrar's data and all other information available in the Georgian legal space do not prove this fact. The final proof or indicator of this is that the power of attorney concerned 100% shares but not a lesser stock, stated the Prime Minister of Georgia.