BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/12/2006

Belarussian deputy energy minister heads to Moscow for gas talks

Belarussian First Deputy Energy Minister Eduard Tovpenets is leaving for Moscow on Friday "as a representative of the Belarussian authorities with the power to make decisions on a gas agreement," the Belarussian Energy ministry told Interfax.

Meanwhile, a source in the Russian government told Interfax the previous day that Russian proposals on gas deliveries to Belarus will not change.

"The terms of Russian gas deliveries to Belarus were defined and will not be changed," the source said after a telephone conversation between Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and his Belarussian counterpart, Sergei Sidorsky.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russia's Gazprom, said on Thursday evening that the price of USD 105 per 1,000 cubic meters, from USD 46.68 in 2006, is its final proposal.

"We have announced the 2007 price - USD 105 - and it is not essential whether it includes [Belarussian pipeline operator] Beltransgaz shares or not," Kupriyanov said in an interview with a Russian TV channel. "Our proposal to pay USD 75 in cash and the rest in shares is more or less a goodwill gesture. It cannot be said that creation of a joint venture based on Beltransgaz is crucial for us, bearing in mind the completion of the Belarussian portion of the Yamal-Europe pipeline."

The Gazprom spokesman also said there had been no progress at Thursday's talks.

"Despite the fact that we could not have proposed easier and more comfortable terms to our Belarussian counterparts, there has been no progress at negotiations today," Kupriyanov said.

Source:

http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/1456818,10,1,0,120,686,item.html