BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/07/2007

Belarusian President Shrugs Off EU Trade Restrictions, Warns U.S.

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in his speech in Minsk on July 2, on the eve of Independence Day, that Belarus under his leadership has become a "stable, civilized, and successful" country, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Lukashenka noted that Belarus's most serious economic task is ensuring energy security. He described Russia's doubling of gas prices for Belarus in January as "wild" and "unprecedented." But he stressed that this price hike has not forced his government to reduce social programs. "[The gas price hike] was not a catastrophe. On the whole, our population has not noticed it," the Belarusian president asserted. Lukashenka slammed Brussels for the recent withdrawal of trade preferences for Belarus under the EU's General System of Preferences. "We have not collapsed under the wild pressure of the price hike for energy resources, and we are not going to die because of the $20 million-$30 million that we may lose [annually] due to the EU sanctions," Lukashenka said. Simultaneously, he pledged retaliation against any U.S. potential economic pressure upon Belarus. "If there is the slightest sign of such actions from the U.S. side, we will take the most severe measures against those U.S. companies and collectives that today operate on Belarusian territory," he said. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/07/3-cee/cee-030707.asp

Google