BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

10/01/2007

Belarus "to Reconsider" Anti-Russia Oil Tariff

The former Soviet republic Belarus plans to "reconsider" a recently-imposed tariff on Russian oil transit shipments that led to a shutdown of a key pipeline to Europe, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.

Belarus' Praesidium of Government was set to discuss the 45 dollar per ton tax, which went into effect on January 1, on Wednesday.

Russian negotiators on Tuesday made Belarusian cancellation of the tax as a precondition to talks on reopening the currently inoperative Druzhba pipeline, closed since Monday.

The Belarusiun Praesidium traditionally acts as a rubber stamp agency for decrees issued by authoritarian President Aleksander Lukashenko.

The Belarusian decision to review the surcharge was a near total reversal of Tuesday's Belarusian negotiating position.

The Belarusian announcement came less than six hours after Lukashenko spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the oil crisis.

Russia and Belarus have been at loggerheads over oil pricing since Monday. Oil supplies to six European countries receiving Russian energy via a trans-Belarus pipeline have been cut off, as a result of the dispute.

Belarus since the beginning of the year had insisted 45-dollar per ton surcharge was fair retaliation for Russia's decision to levy a 180-dollar export tax on oil sold to Belarus.

Russian negotiators have called the Belarusian surcharge "illegal".

c 2007 DPA

Source:

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_8326-Belarus-to-Reconsider-Anti-Russia-Oil-Tariff.html

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