BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/06/2009

Belarus raises stakes in dispute with Russia

By STEVE GUTTERMAN

Associated Press Writer

(AP:MOSCOW) Belarus said it would stay away from the summit of a Moscow-led security alliance Sunday to protest a Russian ban on Belarusian dairy products, deepening a politically-charged dispute between the ex-Soviet neighbors.

The boycott raised the stakes in the confrontation between Russia and Belarus, which has courted the West amid increasingly strained relations with its longtime ally.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his delegation would not travel to Moscow for the one-day meeting of the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty, or CSTO, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov said.

Russian officials stressed that the summit would go ahead despite their absence. Plans for a joint rapid-reaction force that could bolster the CSTO's power and prestige topped the agenda at the afternoon meeting of the seven-nation alliance, an ex-Soviet answer to NATO.

Lukashenko's decision appeared aimed to win economic concessions from the Kremlin and embarrass Russia in front of other neighbors that are crucial to maintaining its clout in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea region, where Moscow is competing with the West over political influence, energy resources and export routes.

Belarus said it would withhold approval of deals on the security force until the dairy dispute is resolved. The message: Moscow risks losing the military support of Belarus _ a buffer between Russia and NATO _ if it withdraws support for its smaller neighbor's economy.

"Without a halt to actions that undermine the foundations of economic security of one's partners, it seems impossible to make decisions on other aspects of security," Popov said. "We believe that against the background of 'trade wars' waged by some CSTO members against others, this would make a mockery of common sense."

Russia slapped a ban on imports of Belarusian milk and dairy products last weekend, a heavy blow to the country's agricultural sector, which employs one out of 10 people in the nation of 10 million.

The Kremlin's efforts to reclaim a dominant role across the former Soviet Union have created constant tension in ties with Belarus, a staunch ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Russia has lowered subsidies for crucial energy supplies to Belarus and Lukashenko has clashed visibly with Vladimir Putin, Russia's president from 2000-2008 and now its prime minister.

The dairy ban came after Lukashenko accused Russia of trying to take over his nation's industries and destroy its sovereignty. He warned that a long-discussed merger of Russia and Belarus would create "another Chechnya" _ suggesting that Belarus would use military force to defend its independence.

Lukashenko has depended heavily on Russia for economic and political support, while earning the opprobrium of the U.S. and European Union during 15 years of authoritarian rule.

But amid increasingly strained relations with Moscow, Lukashenko has been courting the West. His government has released opposition figures that the U.S. and EU considered political prisoners.

Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko said the summit would go ahead without Lukashenko. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he and his colleagues from the other member states approved draft agreements on the collective security force for submission to the presidents, who were expected to sign them later in the day.

Lavrov said it was "wrong" to link economic problems with "issues of military and political security that answer to the interest of all CSTO members," the Interfax news agency reported.

The head of Russia's consumer protection agency, Gennady Onishchenko, said Russia would not allow imports of Belarusian dairy products until producers comply with new industry rules it has put in place, mostly involving documentation.

"Russian laws are laws and not just scraps of paper," Onishchenko said.

Belarus had been slated to take over the CSTO's rotating leadership at the summit.

Associated Press Writer Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Minsk, Belarus.

Source:

http://news.ino.com/headlines/?newsid=689881690300

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