BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

22/06/2006

Belarus abandons massive TV tower project

Minsk - Belarus has failed to find funding to build Europe's second tallest television tower and has abandoned the project, officials said on Thursday.

President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the West of crushing human rights, had described the 425 metre tower as having both economic and political significance.

But Deputy Communications Minister Vladimir Teslyuk, quoted by BelTA news agency, said no investor could be found to finance construction at an estimated cost of $170-million.

"No money could be found in the budget," Teslyuk said.

"And a search for a foreign investor produced nothing."

Ostankino TV tower in Moscow, Europe's highest, stands at 540 metres. The highest free-standing structure in the world, Toronto's CN tower, is 553 metres tall.

Source:

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1150980840378B214