BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

06/01/2010

Belarus says oil supply talks with Russia halted: report

MOSCOW, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Belarus said on Wednesday Russia had broken down talks over Russian oil deliveries to the former Soviet neighbor, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported.

Russia and Belarus held negotiations over the supply of Russian crude for 2010 in Moscow on Wednesday.

BelTA cited a source with the Belarusian delegation as saying that the two sides were very close to clinching a deal before the Russian officials took a break to report back to the government.

"Upon returning to the negotiating table, the Russian negotiators renounced all agreements that had been reached and returned to the position of the beginning of the year," the source said.

The source said the Belarusian delegation would remain in Moscow, although Russia's negotiators had assumed a non-negotiable stance.

Belarus buys about 20 million metric tons of Russian oil a year, but consumes only about one quarter of that. The rest is processed and exported to the West.

Belarus enjoyed significant discounts on Russian oil imports in2009, and is seeking a similar deal this year. The two sides, however, failed to reach an agreement for 2010 before the end of 2009.

Belarus insists that Russia supply duty-free oil not only for Belarus' domestic consumption but also for all Russian crude supplied to the country, while Russia says it will fully tax all the oil bound for European markets.

The Belarusian government has accused Russia's position of contradicting a document on the new Customs Union between Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Source:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/07/content_12767484.htm


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by