RUSSIA-BELARUS: HEAD GAS COMPANIES TO GO ON WITH TALKS

MOSCOW, MARCH 9, RIA NOVOSTI - Alexei Miller, Gasprom Co. Board chair, for Russia, and Petr Petukh, Beltransgas Co. Director General, for Belarus, met at the negotiation table in Moscow today to discuss bilateral gas partnership prospects-in particular, Russian exports to Belarus and to third countries via it. The Parties agreed to carry on the talks.

The Gasprom suspended gas exports to Belarus, January 1. Belarus now has only one Russian corporate gas exporter-the independent company Trans Nafta. In a conference of March 4, it and the Beltransgas agreed on 660 million cubic metres of gas to be delivered to Belarus within the month. The amount is expected to last only into March 10, warns Denis Vinogradov, Trans Nafta gas department chief. The exports will go at an old low price of US$46.68 per thousand cu m, he said to the media.

The company has supplied to Belarus an approximate 200 million cu m for the same price at a daily 62 million cu m, he added.

The Trans Nafta is the last independent exporter to be linked with the Beltransgas by short-term contracts. The latest was signed for a fabulous term of two days-March 1 and 2.

The ITERA, another independent exporter, suspended gas supplies to Belarus, February 12, but is willing to resume exports this month, and promises not to charge more than the previous $46.68 a thousand cubic metres.