U.S. special envoy promises to Lukashenko to unblock over $40 mln at Citibank linked to potash payments

MINSK. Sept 15 (Interfax) - U.S. special envoy for Belarus John Coale has promised to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to resolve the issue of returning the funds that have been frozen at Citibank and related to a payment for Belarusian fertilizers.

That money must be unblocked and returned, Coale said at a meeting with Lukashenko in Minsk on Tuesday, according to the BelTA state news agency. A request had been sent to the bank to unblock the assets and a mechanism was now being worked out how to do that, Coale said.

On September 11 Lukashenko mentioned the over $40 million stuck in the United States in the context of restarting Belarusian potassium chloride exports to the U.S. "We are now loading potassium - selling to the U.S. You want [to buy] our potassium fertilizers? Please, do. We cannot [deliver big quantities] at once. We have some freed up. We have them in a contract for this year, will consider for the next. An opportunity has now emerged to load a vessel - take it. But pay us back the debt - the $43-44 million of ours stuck at Citibank. A company that cooperated with us paid money. In a rich America, it is stuck. Give us back that money, please," Lukashenko said then.