BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/10/2006

Russia may restrict oil deliveries to Belarus if duties not agreed -President Putin

MOSCOW. Oct 25 (Interfax) - Russia may restrict deliveries of crude oil to Belarus if the Russian and Belarussian authorities fail to reach an agreement on standards for customs duties, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a televised question and answer session on Wednesday. "If we do not manage to reach agreements, we will have to introduce certain restrictions," Putin said. "We are increasingly reluctant to do it because we have managed to agree upon a considerable number of such issues."

Russia and Belarus are unable to "secure common standards for both import and export customs duties," he said.

"We are concerned about certain matters: we are looking at the volume of crude oil delivered to Belarussian refineries, the needs of the republic itself and the amount of oil products shipped abroad [by the Belarussian refineries]," Putin said.

"Of course, we need to restore order in this sphere through normal dialogue with our Belarussian colleagues," he said.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/5/206488/news.aspx

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