BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

08/01/2007

Russia said forced to stop oil exports

MINSK, Belarus (AFX) - A senior Russian official said Monday that Russia has been forced to stop delivering oil to Europe via Belarus after disruptions to the flow of exports it blamed on Minsk, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Deputy Trade and Economic Development Andrei Sharonov said in an interview with Russian news channel Vesti that oil supplies via the Druzhba, or Friendship, pipeline to eastern and central Europe could not continue under these circumstances, according to ITAR-Tass.

"Now there is a threat to the fulfillment of international contracts between Russian companies and companies in Western Europe and Eastern Europe," he was quoted as saying. "We view this situation as force-majeure, as the onset of unavoidable circumstances."

Source:

http://www.forextv.com/FT/AFX/ShowStory.jsp?seq=197517