BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/05/2007

Iran, Belarus: 'Cooperation in all fields'

"Belarus and Iran are subjects of international law. There are no forbidden topics for Belarus and Iran. We are ready to cooperate in all areas", Lukashenko said in televised comments.

The two-day visit was meant to strengthen personal ties, as well as build on a raft of new trade agreements the two signed at a meeting in Teheran in November.

"We are full of determination to carry out all the agreements we reached in Teheran and will reach in Minsk", Ahmadinejad told the Belarussian president, whom he praised as "one of my very best friends".

Lukashenko has been a vocal supporter of Iran's controversial nuclear program, while Ahmadinejad has praised the Belarussian president, condemned by Washington as "the last dictator in Europe".

Belarus has also sold Russian-made conventional military equipment and spare parts to Iran in the face of Western criticism.

The two presidents held talks focusing on energy, trade and technology, after which Ahmadinejad was due to visit Belarussian manufacturing facilities.

Bilateral trade stood at 35.6 million dollars (26.5 million euros) in 2006, according to the Belarussian Foreign Ministry, though the two countries hope new deals in the oil sector and car and tractor industries will lift this to 350 million dollars.

"We have enormous long-term potential, which we should fulfill", Ahmadinejad said.

Both governments have been the target of sharp criticism by the West, particularly the United States: Iran over suspicions about its nuclear program, Belarus over human rights abuses.

The two countries' defense ministers signed an agreement in Teheran in January to intensify military links.

Lukashenko also announced that his country would develop an oil field in Iran.

Announcing plans to develop the Jofeir field, Lukashenko told Ahmadinejad: "You have sought to satisfy all the wishes of the Belarussian side and have allocated to us the deposit we were hoping for.

"Our experts have examined it and today are ready to extract oil on Iranian territory", Lukashenko said in comments carried on state television.

The Jofeir field is located close to Iran's border with Iraq and could potentially produce 30,000 barrels of oil per day, Iranian officials were reported by Interfax news agency as saying earlier.

Crude oil extracted from the field would either be processed in Iran or sold elsewhere, Lukashenko said.

Belarus has only negligible oil reserves of its own but does have major oil refineries, which are used for processing Russian oil for further export.

However in recent months Belarus and Russia have fallen out over Belarus' role as an oil transit route.

Lukashenko has repeatedly said he wants to find alternative energy resources for this country of 10 million people, which lies sandwiched between Russia and European Union and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Source:

http://www.mmorning.com/ArticleC.asp?Article=4760&CategoryID=6