BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

21/12/2006

United States Unleashed Anti-Union Campaign

The United States will acknowledge no results of the referendum on uniting Russia and Belarus, the U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen B. Stewart made clear. This statement of ambassador signals Washington suspects Moscow of staging Anschluss for Belarus and is ready to fight for this state with the Kremlin.

Karen Stewart made clear her referendum views, which, by the way, are in line with the U.S. State Department, late on Tuesday, i.e. just a few hours after State Secretary of Russia's-Belarus Union, Pavel Borodin, advocated convening the referendum on uniting Russia and Belarus. 2007 will be "decisive for constructing a single state," Borodin specified.

The timing of the categorical rhetoric of the U.S. ambassador is interesting. Stewart expressed her attitude soon after the futile talks of Russia's President Vladimir Putin with his Belarus' counterpart Alexander Lukashenko that were held in Moscow.

At those talks of three hours, the presidents agreed on none of the three challenged matters - introducing duties on crude export to Belarus, hiking gas prices from January 1 and creating Russia's-Belarus' venture based on Beltransgaz assets.

But should Moscow proceed with the plans and finally impose crude export duties and step up gas prices from $49/ths cu meters to $200/ths cu meters, the mega losses would be imminent for Belarus. The aftereffect could be the profound social shock, threatening Lukashenko's reign.

In view of the above, the most agitated party is apparently the Belarus' opposition. The ardent attitude of Moscow evoked suspicions of the opposition leaders and the United States. They say the Kremlin is staging Anschluss for Belarus in exchange for defending Lukashenko's regime.

Source:

http://www.kommersant.com/p732001/r_527/union_referendum/