LUKASHENKO: MINSK NEEDS HELP TO DESTROY ARMAMENTS.

Belarusianpresident Aleksandr Lukashenko said that his country lacked thefunds necessary to complete the destruction of weaponry mandatedby the CFE Treaty and to complete the return of strategic missilesto Russia under its accord with Moscow, Interfax reported July24. In the first case, he blamed the US and other Western countriesfor reneging on promised aid; in the second, he said that Minskhad not yet received "a single kopeck" from Russia tocompensate Belarus for the value of the missiles and the costsof their removal. In a comment that may represent the Belarusianposition in future talks with Moscow, Lukashenko noted that thecost of transferring the strategic missiles to Russia nearly equaledMinsk’s $400 million energy debt to Moscow.