The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February, 19, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ --------------------------------------------------------- ANTI-RUSSIAN PROTEST ACTION IN MINSK 18:23 19/02/2004, photo by ByMedia.net According to police about 200 people took part in meeting organized on 19 of February near Embassy of Russian Federation in Minsk. Participants of the meeting expressed protest against decision of Russian officials to halt gas supply to Belarus with slogans "Our relations are poisoned with gas", "No to gas war!", "It is a kick to back of Belarusian people" and with official flags. Police did not disperse participants of not sanctioned action, informs BelaPAN. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/action --------------------------------------------------------- GAS SUPPLIES AND ITS TRANSIT THROUGH BELARUS STOPPED COMPLETELY 17:39 19/02/2004 Russias gas holding Gazprom has stopped gas supplies to Belarus. "Russia gas supplies to Belarus stopped at 18:00," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Itar-Tass. He said, "The decision has to be made by the Belarussian side." http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/transit --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS FURY AT MOSCOW IN GAS ROW 18:11 19/02/2004, AP Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko angrily assailed Russia's move to cut off natural gas supplies to his nation and recalled Belarus' ambassador to Moscow in the worst-ever crisis in relations between the two ex-Soviet neighbors. "This is an act of terrorism on the highest level, when a country and a people -- not a foreign people, but one in which Russian blood flows in half the population -- is deprived of natural gas," Lukashenko said in comments aired on state television. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/moscow --------------------------------------------------------- LUKASHENKA: BELARUS MUST AGREE TO RUSSIAN GAS PRICES 17:40 19/02/2004, RFE/RL Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko says his country must agree to Russian terms of gas supplies, but will demand an increase in transit prices for deliveries to Poland and Germany. Lukashenka made the comments today at an emergency government meeting convened one day after Russia stopped supplying natural gas to Belarus. Russian companies say existing contracts have expired and want to raise rates from below-market levels. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/luka --------------------------------------------------------- BELARUS TO FACE GAS SUPPLIES CUTOFF RESULTS BY MORNING 17:37 19/02/2004 The effects of Russian natural gas supplies to Belarus are to be faced by the morning, told Trans Nafta general director Vladimir Kondratiuk. General director of the company Trans Nafta said that Gazprom received notification from Minsk that state-run company Beltransgaz is not accountable for Russian gas transit through the territory of Belarus. "It is a very risky step of the Belarusian side. As a result of that not only heat supply to the apartment houses can be stopped, but enterprises of continuous cycle which need constant gas supply can also meet with problems", said Kondrtuk, ITAR-TASS informs. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/utro --------------------------------------------------------- RIGID ENERGY SAVING EFFORT INTRODUCED IN COUNTRY 17:34 19/02/2004 Government of Belarus has introduced rigid economy of energy resources, said prime minister of the country Syarhei Sidorsky. As Belarusian state-run mass media inform, the council of Ministers regard Gazprom actions as an "unprecedented form of pressure on Belarusian people". At the same time, Belarusian mass media emphasize that problems with Russian gas supplies would not affect households of Belarus. "The government will use all reserve sources, so that apartments and social institutions stayed warm", said prime minister. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/rezhim --------------------------------------------------------- RUSSIA: BELARUS HAS RIGHT TO RECALL AMBASSADORS FOR CONSULTATIONS 17:33 19/02/2004 Russia plans to take no similar steps in response to the decision made by Minsk to recall the Belarussian ambassador from Moscow for consultations, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministrys information and press department told ITAR-TASS on Thursday. "It is a right of the Belarussian authorities to recall their ambassador for consultations." "Russia plans no steps of that sort," the foreign ministry source said. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/russia --------------------------------------------------------- GAZPROM CUTS SUPPLIES TO EUROPE 17:30 19/02/2004, By Catherine Belton and Valeria Korchagina, Moscow Times Gazprom took the unprecedented step Wednesday of cutting all gas supplies to Belarus and via its territory to Germany and Poland, a hardball move in a conflict over prices and pipelines that is likely to seriously rock relations between Moscow and Minsk. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/gazprom --------------------------------------------------------- GERMANY NOT AFFECTED BY BELARUS GAS TRANSIT HALT 17:28 19/02/2004, Interfax The suspension of gas supplies to Western Europe via Belarus has not affected consumers in Germany or other countries, a staffer in the Moscow office of the German gas company Wintershall told Interfax on Thursday. He believes that his company will keep Western European consumers reliably supplied by diversifying supply routes and using reserves in underground storage. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/germany --------------------------------------------------------- INFORMATION ON "GAS" CREDIT NOT CONFIRMED 17:27 19/02/2004 Belarusian Prime Minister press secretary Yawhen Myaleshka did not confirm information of some mass media that Belarusian government approved the project of credit agreement with Russia amopunting to 200 million US dollars. "The possibility of such a credit was discussed during the session of the presidium of the Council of Ministers of Belarus, but it is tool early to speak about it", told Yawhen Myaleshka RIA Novosti. http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/kredit --------------------------------------------------------- HISTORY OF GAS CONFLICT 17:25 19/02/2004, "Kommersant" In April, 2002 Russia and Belarus signed an agreement according to which Gazprom was to supply gas to the country for the domestic price (fife price zone of Russian Federation) (912 rubles for 1 thousand cubic meters). Not later than in June 2003 Belarus in its turn was to guarantee creation of gas transit joint venture with Gazprom on the base of Beltransgaz. According to this agreement Russian company was to get 50% ofBeltransgaz shares. THe joint venture was not created by this term, Gazprom demanded to review the contract, and agreeing for supplies at market price (about $50 per 1,000 cubic meters). http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2004/02/19/history --------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER'97 BELARUS NEWS UPDATE February, 19, 2003 http://charter97.org/eng/news/ -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.charter97&email= http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com