BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/11/2007

Belarusian President Vows To Maintain Economic Course

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on November 15 that he does not intend to revise the country's overall economic policies, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. Lukashenka said that in spite of claims by the Belarusian opposition and Russian media "that Lukashenka cannot admit that he has made a mistake regarding the strategy of our country's development," Belarus does "not intend to change the chosen course." He continued: "There is absolutely not a critical situation in the country, despite the fact that there was an objective reason for it: we have actually had to spent $2.5 billion for energy, oil, and gas this year." He described Russian gas giant Gazprom's move to raise the gas price paid by Belarus as an "unfriendly step by our Russian brothers," but said that nevertheless, "we have survived the year and not fallen." AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/11/3-cee/cee-161107.asp