BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
06/01/2010
Russia, Belarus dispute oil talks status
MOSCOW, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Tensions rose between Russia and Belarus on Wednesday as both sides gave conflicting accounts on the status of negotiations on 2010 oil supply prices. Russia briefly cut oil supplies to Belarussian refineries this month in a dispute over pricing that has again raised the spectre of winter supply disruptions for European Union customers. 'Talks are going on in a constructive way, tomorrow they will continue, we hope that an agreement can be reached in the nearest time,' Russian Energy Ministry spokeswoman Irina Yesipova told Reuters Her comments followed a report from the Belarussian state news agency BelTA that quoted unnamed sources in Minsk's delegation as saying the talks had broken down. Although no agreement has been reached, the Russian side said there was no disruption of supplies to Europe via Belarus. 'Russian oil transit to Europe through Belarus is still flowing,' Yesispova said. Her positive assessment contrasted with the sceptical comments by a Belarussian source to the state news agency. 'As a result of the work of experts, the two sides were close together,' a source in the Belarussian delegation was quoted as saying, before the Russian officials took a break to report back to senior officials. 'Upon returning, the Russia's negotiators effectively renounced all agreements and returned to the position of the beginning of the year,' the source was quoted as saying. But the delegation would remain in Moscow, the Belarussian government spokesman told Reuters.
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