14 December 2007

RRussia & Belarus push ahead with union pact.

RussiaToday: President Putin is spending a second day in Minsk, to try and nail down a pact with Belarus, including a draft constitution and a deal on future gas deliveries. It is Putin's first official visit to the country in more than 5 years and comes in the dying months of his presidency.

On Friday, Putin and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko will take part in a meeting of the Union State Council. $US 160 million has been set aside for the 2008 budget, but this won't be enough to have a smooth transition to a full union state.

For years, analysts have criticised the two countries' relationship.

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