BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

30/12/2006

Gazprom to export no gas to Belarus before contract signed

MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax) - Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) on Saturday ruled out the possibility of Gazprom exporting gas to Belarus in 2007 before a contract is signed to that effect and announced it was launching inspections to stop Belarus taking gas from a transit pipeline.

"We cannot supply any gas without a contract, and so currently our inspectors are leaving for facilities at the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline in order to monitor the state of the junctures [between this pipeline and] the networks of [Belarussian gas transmission company] Beltransgaz," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told a briefing in Moscow.

Gazprom exports gas to Europe through the Yamal-Europe pipeline.

"We are also inviting independent international experts to control the volumes of gas passing through Belarussian territory," Kupriyanov said.

"The way the negotiations [between Gazprom and Belarus on a 2007 gas exports contract] are proceeding is making us get ready for critical developments," he said.

"We still expect that Mr. Semashko [Belarus' chief gas negotiator with Gazprom] may come to the negotiations today, and in that case they will continue," the spokesman said. as

Source:

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?menu=1&id_issue=11656352