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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 9, No. 126, Part I, 7 July 2005 Barash Communications Technologies, Inc. (BCTI) regained its license to operate in Turkmenistan after Russia's Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), which recently purchased a majority stake in BCTI for $28 million (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 June 2005), agreed to pay an unspecified higher tax on profits to the Turkmen budget, "Vedomosti" reported on 5 July. Turkmen regulators had pulled the U.S.-registered BCTI's license after the MTS deal was announced (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 June 2005), prompting MTS head Vasilii Sidorov to fly to Ashgabat for emergency negotiations. Sidorov did not provide details on the increased tax payments. Some analysts queried by "Vedomosti" warned that MTS should ready itself for the possibility of more strong-arm tactics from overzealous Turkmen regulators. DK