According to the RIA Novosti interlocutor, the contracted volumes would be sufficient to satisfy gas needs of Belorussian consumers until January 29.
Itera indicated that at 00.00 Saturday (January 24) gas deliveries to Belorussia were limited by approximately 30%.
On December 22 independent gas suppliers reported to Gasprom that starting from 00.00 January 24 they would stop transportation of gas to Belorussia as the volumes contracted by Beltransgas for January 2004 were fully delivered.
The Belorussian side did not sign new contracts.
Since January 1 this year Gasproim has not deliver gas to Belorussia.
In order to resume deliveries and to supply natural gas to Belorussian consumers Gasprom recommended the Belorussian side to urgently sign and present to the company agreements with independent gas suppliers.
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko discussed issues of gas delivery to Belorussia by independent providers on the phone twice.
In the course of a conversation Vladimir Putin requested to expedite submission of the necessary document to confirm volumes of gas deliveries to Belorussia by independent suppliers.
Putin stressed that "the state was not able to force independent suppliers to continue delivering gas to Belorussia without the appropriate confirmation received from the Belorussian side." Putin stressed that in the event of emergence of unfavorable consequences the Russian side would waive any responsibility for that." The Belorussian President in his turn confirmed the dispatch of the appropriate document.
