BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

04/01/2007

Belarus lashes out at Russia as oil row boils over

A fresh row, this time over oil, has driven another wedge between former allies Belarus and Russia. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko is furious at Moscow imposing full duty on oil exports - and he has retaliated by slapping new charges on Russian oil shipped across Belarussian territory. "We've done everything they asked us to," he said. "Now it's their turn to keep their promises, and if they don't we're free to act, and we will. I intend to raise the question of firstly increasing payments for oil transit through Belarussia, secondly rent for the land taken up by oil and gas pipelines, and thirdly the question of Russian property over here."

About a million barrels of crude passes through Belarus every day on its way to Poland and Germany. The spat could cause short term disruption to supplies, and long-term damage to relations between Lukashenko and Russia's Vladimir Putin, until now one of the Belarussian leader's few friends in the region. Tensions were already high after Belarus was forced at the start of the month to begin paying double for imports of Russian gas.

Source:

http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=399111&lng=1

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