BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/12/2006

Lukashenko, Putin to meet in Moscow amid gas price dispute

MOSCOW (AFX) - Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow tomorrow, amid a dispute between the two countries over Russian gas prices.

Russia has given Belarus and Georgia a Jan 1 ultimatum to accept a fourfold rise in prices, to around 200 usd per 1,000 cubic metres.

Action against Belarus could affect supplies to Europe, which receives a fifth of its gas via a transit pipeline running across the republic.

Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine at the beginning of this year after a similar price dispute.

Source:

http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5896942&subject=economic&action=article