Belarus accuses Poland of provoking crisis over fuel oil :: Charter'97 :: News

An official of the Belarus customs committee on Friday harshly criticized neighboring Poland for lifting a duty exemption on fuel oil, which caused huge backups of tanker trucks at the border. Fuel oil is about 40 percent cheaper in Belarus than in Poland and many entrepreneurs made a living by hauling the fuel into Poland in tanker trucks with a capacity of up to 900 liters (240 gallons).

But Poland this year rescinded an exemption on duties for more than 200 liters (52 gallons) and many truckers were caught at the border having to pay unexpected fees or turn around, creating back-ups of up to eight kilometers (five miles).
"This is an unprecedented step by the Polish side, provoking a crisis situation," customs service spokeswoman Elena Khalikova said.
Poland decided to lift the exemption in line with regulations of the European Union, which the country has been invited to join in 2004, said an officer at Poland`s Koroszyczyn crossing on condition of anonymity.
It was the second dispute in as many months over access to Poland from Belarus. In November, Belarus alleged that Poland was not allowing people of Chechen origin to cross the border, a charge that Poland denied.
Belarus, under hardline President Alexander Lukashenko, an admirer of the Soviet Union, has retained much of its Soviet-style economy whereas its neighbors Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have embraced Western-style capitalism and are on track for EU membership.
Belarus, meanwhile, has fallen out with Russia, with whom it had sought a wide-ranging union.