Business News
Gazprom and Belarus remain deadlocked over gas agreement
Dec 31, 2006, 9:25 GMT
Moscow - Russian gas company Gazprom said Sunday that no agreement had been reached with Belarusian representatives in the Moscow negotiations on 2007 gas prices.
With the end-of-the-year deadline looming, both sides were preparing themselves for disruption to Russia gas supplies in 2007, Russian media reported.
Belarus's chief negotiator, Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko, said in Minsk on Saturday evening that the former Soviet state had agreed to pay 100 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres for gas from Russia next year.
Belarus would also transfer half of its state-controlled Beltransgaz pipeline network to Gazprom for 2.5 billion dollars.
Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said that this was the Belarusian position, but no deal had been reached.
Negotiations were expected to resume later Sunday.
Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister, Eduard Tovpenets, arrived in Moscow Friday for the negotiations.
Kuprianov said Saturday that an agreement could not be expected until Belarus sent Semashko to the talks.
Western Europe's gas supplies could be disrupted if no agreement is reached and Gazprom cuts off gas supplies to Minsk on January 1.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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