BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/06/2008

Russia, Belarus to set main budget parameters for 2009

MOSCOW, June 27 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian-Belarussian Council of Ministers at its meeting on Friday will consider main parameters of the United State's budget for 2009, a Russian government source told Itar-Tass.

The meeting will focus on two main themes -- budget and financial issues and programmes of the United State, the source said.

Russian and Belarussian ministers will consider the implementation of the 2007 budget, make additions to the 2008 budget and set main budget parameters for 2009. It must be approved, and work on the budget itself will start.

The budget will approximately amount to 4.615 billion roubles. Russia will provide about three billion and Belarus about 1.6 billion roubles.

It is a real budget, but not an estimate to support state structures, the source noted.

In 2007, the United State's budget amounted to 3.782 billion roubles. The budget increased. However, there is no task to increase state spending. The main thing is that everything must be effective, the official said, admitting that not all the funds are used. Programmes are approved, but every year about 0.5 billion roubles are returned to national budgets. There is such a problem in Russia and in the United State. It is what will be discussed, that it is necessary to fulfill the budget more effectively, and the budget discipline must be tightened.

Ministers will discuss a conception for the United State's development and a number of specific programmes. Under discussion will be also ensuring of equal rights for Russians in Belarus and Belarussians in Russia. The Belarussian side usually raises the issue, and now the Russian side wants to discuss it. Russia is concerned over the information that Russian citizens have to pay for the use of a number of roads, while Belarussians do not pay for it. Besides, Russian citizens have no right to own land in Belarus as private property, according to the source.

The Council of Ministers will discuss united transport system functioning, border infrastructure development and preparation of a new programme for scientific and technical cooperation in the area of high technologies.

It will be the first meeting with Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister heading the Russian side. Putin is president of the United State's Council of Ministers. Belarussian President heads the Supreme State Council.

The meetings were held regularly without fail in recent years, the source noted with satisfaction. As planned, the meetings are held once in a quarter, he said, noting that there is no such association with any other state.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12817025&PageNum=0

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