BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/01/2007

Belarus halts Russian oil flow to Europe

Source: Xinhuanet

MOSCOW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Transit shipments of Russian oil supplies to Poland, Germany and Ukraine through Belarus were stopped over the weekend, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, but the European Union (EU) said the bloc faced "no immediate risk" of energy shortage.

The Druzhba pipeline "is not pumping oil in the direction of Poland, Germany and Ukraine under orders from Belneftekhim," a spokesman for Belarus' pipeline operator Belneftekhim was quoted as saying.

Poland and Germany confirmed the stoppage of Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said on Monday the disruption of oil supplies from Russia posed "no immediate risk" to energy supplies in the bloc. Piebalgs said he had asked Russian and Belarussian authorities to give an explanation.

Belarus and Russia came to loggerheads over oil transit after the two countries resolved a trade dispute over natural gas. Moscow has imposed export duties on crude oil supplied to Belarus while Minsk has slapped a new customs duty on Russian oil transiting through Belarus.

Semyon Vainshtok, chief of Russian pipeline operator Transneft, on Monday accused Belarus of siphoning off Russian oil meant for consumers in western Europe.

"On Jan. 6, the Belarussian side, without warning anyone, unilaterally started illegal oil tapping from the Druzhba pipeline," which amounted to over 79,000 tons of Russian oil, Interfax quoted Vainshtok as saying.

Vainshtok urged Belarus to ensure transit deliveries of Russian oil to western Europe.

The stoppage came just over a week after Belarus agreed to pay more than double the previous price for Russian gas supplies this year.

Under a deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom, Belarus would buy Russian gas at 100 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters in 2007. Gazprom agreed to pay more for gas transit through Belarus to Europe. Belarus bought gas from Russia at 46.7 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters in 2006.

Russia provides about a quarter of the oil and gas consumed in the EU, some of which are piped through Belarus, mainly to Poland, Germany and Lithuania.

Editor:Du Xiaodan

Source:

http://www.cctv.com/program/bizchina/20070109/101276.shtml