BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08/01/2007

Belarus Siphons Off Europe-bound Oil From Russian Pipeline - Official

MosNews

According to the Russian oil transit monopoly Belarus has siphoned off 79,000 metric tons of Europe-bound oil since January 6, RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday.

Russian oil designated for European Union nations of Lithuania, Poland and Germany is exported through Belarusian pipelines.

"From January 6, Belarus began tapping oil destined only for customers in western Europe from the Druzhba pipeline unilaterally, without any warning," Semyon Vainshtok, the head of Transneft, said.

Poland's economics ministry said earlier Monday that oil had stopped coming through the Druzhba pipeline, and Poland's PERN company operating the Polish section of the pipeline said it had sent a letter to the Belarusian operator last night but received no answer.

Russia doubled the gas price for Belarus to $100 per 1,000 cubic meters from January 1, and also imposed an oil export duty of $180.7 per metric ton for the ten-million nation. Belarus responded January 3 by introducing a transit duty of $45 per metric ton of Russian oil.

Vainshtok called on Belarus to observe international norms, which outlaw transit discrimination. He also said that Transneft was doing its best to increase oil exports through other pipelines.

Source:

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/01/08/belarusoil.shtml