Belarus will make pay for land under Russian gas pipeline :: Charter'97 :: News

Government of Belarus is going to make a proposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka on introduction of rent payment for land for transiting entities subject to the international legislation. This information was conveyed to head of the state by Syargei Sydorsky on January 23 in the course of the meeting at the “Naftan” Joint-Stock Company, the press-service of the Belarusian ruler informed the Interfax. In the near future the corresponding documents will be submitted to Lukashenka for consideration.

According to the information from the press-service, prime-minister Sydorsky worded the concrete actions to be taken for resources saving and tariffs decreasing on gas and electric power for consumers in the Republic. “Among those is introduction of rent payment for land for all transiting entities (Belarusian, Russian and others) subject to the corresponding international legislation,” it was remarked at the press-service.

The prime minister declared that no later than in March-April of the current year the damage in volumes of refined products incurred by the Belarusian refineries this January would be reimbursed.

The Government also supported the idea ”of a more active attraction of foreign resources for investing in construction of new power plants and upgrading of the old ones “

S. Sydorsky also mentioned in his report that due to the last actions of Russia in 2007 Belarus had to increase 2.14 times payments to Russia at the expense of the Belarusian economy.

“The truth is that no support is given here either to the economy of Belarus or to its budget,” he stressed.

Moreover, the Government suggests to set-up over 100 new enterprises in the country and to start building new production sites at existing ones on the basis of new resources saving technologies ( all in all , it is planned to set up over 300 new production sites). According to the Government calculations taking into account the increased prices for energy resources, another demand has occurred, to find Br 629 billion for support to the sector of dwelling and communal services. For this the prime minister has proposed a 2% decrease of regional budgets expenses for maintenance, repairmen and construction as well as a 5% decrease of the total republican budget expenses.

The amounts provided for low-income families support are not to be reconsidered. “Subsidies amounting to Br 13.2 billion for covering dwelling and communal services costs have been stipulated in the budget 2007,” the president’s press-service stated more precisely.

According to the press-service information, in general, Lukashenka positively estimated the measures proposed by the Government, pointing out the importance of creating a group of experts from the President’s Administration and The National Academy of Sciences who will calculate possible ways of economic development under the changed conditions.

Responding to the Government’s offer of decreasing several investment programs, Lukashenka stressed that ”it is possible only in urgent cases.”

It is to be mentioned that, yesterday at the meeting in Navapolatsk Lukashenka declared that Belarus has to introduce rent payment for land under Russian gas and oil pipelines. ”If certain Russian oil companies do not want to work with Belarus we have to make them pay more for their oil transit to Europe,” announced he.