BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/10/2006

Belarus committed to accords with Russia on oil customs duties

MINSK, October 26 (Itar-Tass) - Belarussian Finance Minister Nikolai Korbut said the republic adheres to the accords with Russia on customs duties on Russian oil.

"As of now, each side collects duties on its own range of goods, in accordance with the effective national legislations," Korbut told Itar-Tass, in comments on the statement by the Russian president calling for restoring order in this sphere.

"Today, we have no legal document regulating the distribution of export customs duties," according to the minister.

"Russia gave its consent two weeks ago on settling the issue related to the distribution of duties," Korbut said. He agreed with the opinion that "it should be a separate agreement."

"Belarus is ready to discuss the issue," the finance minister said.

Russian president, Vladimir Putin, during a question and answer session on Wednesday, said in comments on economic relations with Belarus: "We are still unable to agree on general standards in the issues of customs dues both in imports and exports. It worries Russia."

"We look at the volume of our oil delivered to Belarussian refineries and then see the volume of exported petroleum products. Of course, we have to restore order in the process of normal dialogue with our Belarussian colleagues," Putin said.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10927149&PageNum=0