Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus carefully follows the development of the situation with detention at the Beirut airport of a cargo that, according to the statements of a number of news agencies was allegedly meant for a direct shipment to Iraq from the Republic of Belarus.

Belarusian side does not eliminate the possibility that the abovementioned publications aim at creating a negative background on the eve of the President of the Russian Federation Mr. Vladimir Putin visit to the Republic of Belarus and at diminishing the importance of the issues to be discussed at the Supreme State Council.

In this regard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially declares that the Republic of Belarus strictly adheres to all international obligations and standard practices of trade in goods of special purposes.

Cooperation with Iraq is carried out in strict compliance with the sanctions of the UN Security Council, which categorically excludes any possibility any dual-use goods shipments to this country.

There is a strict system of export control in the Republic of Belarus that allows to efficiently prevent unauthorized shipments of specialized products to foreign countries avoiding set procedures.

The authorized agencies of the Republic of Belarus will be able to provide at any moment all needed explanations on these types of activities after receiving corresponding official requests.

Minsk, January 15, 2003