BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

05/01/2007

Belarus ready for more talks on Russian oil export, sharing of oilproduct duties - official

MINSK. Jan 5 (Interfax) - Belarussian authorities on Friday confirmed their readiness to continue talks with Russia on the delivery of Russian oil to Belarus and ways to share duties levied on Belarussian petroleum products.

"I am convinced that the Belarussian side is ready to continue negotiations with its Russian partners on the terms for oil deliveries and ways to share the duties levied on petroleum products," Anton Kudasov, deputy director of the Belarussian Foreign Ministry's foreign trade department, told a news conference in Minsk.

"Our Russian partners and we simply must find mutually acceptable approaches," he said.

The news follows an announcement Wednesday by Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky the country had imposed a customs duty on oil transported through oil pipelines owned by Belarus as of January 1 amounting to USD 45 per 1 tonne of oil.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/5/228587/news.aspx