MINSK. Nov 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The Belarussian railway troops will be attached to the Defence Ministry though without inclusion into the republic's armed forces, a spokesman for the Security Council told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday.
The decision is currently under consideration by lawyers of the ministry, the spokesman said.
After the Soviet Union collapsed the Belarussian railway troops practically had no legal grounds. In particular, they are financed by the ministry. Paradoxically that the defense minister is signing appointments in those troops while they are not included in the armed forces. When the government and security council discussed the problem they considered the variant of inclusion of the troops amounted to some 3,500 people into the Belarussian railway but it was turned down due to the fact that the troops might have become subordinate to the railway. Another variant was to include the troops into the committee under the republic's ministers council but it failed as well. That is why current variant is considered to be the most effective, the spokesman added.