BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/06/2006

Belarus denies sale of refinery

MINSK, Belarus, June 28 (UPI) -- A Belarusian official denied plans to sell off assets of its Mazyr oil refinery in exchange for Gazprom retaining this year's gas prices.

"We have never departed from this approach and will not depart from it because the issue of the price formation in Belarus and Russia should have adequate growth rates. Otherwise, our economies will be diverging, which runs counter to agreements between Russia and Belarus," Dzmitryy Kazakow, director general of state-owned gas supply and distribution company Beltranshaz, Belarusian TV reported.

Belarus has been vague about plans with the Russian gas giant to maintain gas prices. The two parties signed an agreement in 2002 laying out the principles for determining gas prices.

"I think an adequate price fluctuation is in the interests of both Russia and Belarus," Kazakow said.

The official denied the sale of specific companies in exchange for maintaining gas prices.

Source:

http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=20060628-113843-6808r