Russia, Belarus approve plan to clean up Druzhba pipeline after tainted oil

MOSCOW: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and his Belarusian counterpart Igor Lyashenko have approved a plan for cleaning up the Druzhba pipeline network after contaminated oil entered the system, Kozak's spokesman said on Thursday.

Russia and Belarus will clean the pipeline all the way through to Belarus's border with Poland. Supplies of clean oil to Poland are set to resume no later than in the middle of June, the spokesman said.

He also said that Kozak held a meeting to discuss the contaminated oil issue with major Russian oil companies and Russian pipeline operator Transneft on Thursday.