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An oil refinery in Plock, Poland, is seen in this undated handout photo. Oil supplies to Poland and Germany via Russia's giant Druzhba pipeline were stopped overnight due to problems connected with a trade dispute between Russia and Belarus, Polish officials said on January 8, 2007.

An oil refinery in Plock, Poland, is seen in this undated handout photo. Oil supplies to Poland and Germany via Russia's giant Druzhba pipeline were stopped overnight due to problems connected with a trade dispute between Russia and Belarus, Polish officials said on January 8, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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PRAGUE, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The oil supply delivered from Russia through the Friendship pipeline via Belarus to Slovakia and the Czech Republic stopped on Monday evening due to a price dispute between Russia and Belarus.

The stoppage occurred at around 08:00 p.m. (1800 GMT), Slovakia's transpetrol company Stefan Czucz said.

Kristina Felova, a spokeswoman of Slovak oil company Slovnaft, said that the stoppage of oil from Russia will not affect Slovakia's oil supply and the company will guarantee the domestic supply of oil.

Slovakia has stockpiles of crude and fuel sufficient to cover demand for 70 days.

On the same day, the Czech industry ministry said that the Czech Republic will not be jeopardized by the disruption, which also happened in the country.

The Czech government has already prepared for the current situation, Industry Minister Martina Rimana said.

Czech has 102 days of national oil reserves.

The pipeline carries 90 percent of Slovakia's and 70 percent of the Czech Republic's crude oil demand.

Deliveries through the pipeline from Russia to some other European countries were also halted on Monday in the wake of the price dispute between Russia and Belarus.

MOSCOW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Transit shipments of Russian oil supplies to Poland, Germany and Ukraine through Belarus were stopped over the weekend, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, but the European Union (EU) said the bloc faced "no immediate risk" of energy shortage.

The Druzhba pipeline "is not pumping oil in the direction of Poland, Germany and Ukraine under orders from Belneftekhim," a spokesman for Belarus' pipeline operator Belneftekhim was quoted as saying.

Russian oil supplies to Poland disrupted

WARSAW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A dispute between Russia and Belarus over transit fees is causing disruption to oil deliveries from Russia to Poland, the Economics Ministry said Monday.

Russian oil supplies are delivered to Poland through the Przyjazn pipeline that crosses Belarus.

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