BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/05/2007

Iranian President Will Get Warm Welcome In Belarus

Reuters

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Belarus on Monday on a visit likely to generate harsh anti-American rhetoric.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Belarus on Monday on a visit likely to generate harsh anti-American rhetoric when he meets President Alexander Lukashenko, another bitter critic of Washington.

Belarus's involvement in the Iranian oil industry will also figure large on the agenda. Lukashenko, accused of human rights abuses in the West, has actively sought new sources of energy for its economy amid frosty relations with Russia.

Minsk has in the past held talks with other energy-rich nations, including Libya and Venezuela, but analysts have noted negotiations mainly focused on mutual hostility towards the United States rather than economic benefits.

Belarussian officials gave little away about the agenda.

"The visit is planned for May 21-22. If it takes place, then of course the two presidents will meet," said Lukashenko's spokesman Pavel Lyogky. Ahmadinejad is expected to arrive at 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Monday.

Last year, Belarus defended Iran's right to pursue its nuclear programme and rejected any notion of Western sanctions. Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov said both hold close positions on world events and plan to boost economic ties.

Lukashenko is unable to visit most Western states because of sanctions imposed after his disputed re-election last year and he has received no Western visitors since the late 1990s.

Last year, he held warm talks with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, another vocal opponent of U.S. policy, who lauded Lukashenko as a friend and vowed to join him in forming a "fighting team".

Lukashenko, who enjoys broad support at home, has accused Washington of trying to engineer a revolt in Belarus.

He says his rejection of market reforms and tough line on dissent has spared his country the poverty and upheaval of other ex-Soviet states.

But the economy is facing a serious challenge this year after Russia doubled gas prices for Belarus and imposed a duty on crude oil sales for the first time, prompting the country to say it would look for alternative sources of energy.

Industry analysts say Belarus may find it difficult to fund large exploration projects abroad and even if the land-locked state manages to find new resources it is unlikely to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Source:

http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=45649