Europe 'Overfed', Russkie Chiefs Propose Diet
- From: lorad474@xxxxxx
- Date: 26 Apr 2006 01:47:11 -0700
Well, I certainly never said that russkies knew how to run a PR
campaign...
But I did said previously, You can dress barbarians up - but you
really can't take them out in public. The smurfs had better start
looking for new oil sources.
For educational purposes:
"Russian energy chief advocates EU oil supply cut
25.04. By Mark Beunderman
Russia should cut oil supplies to "overfed" Europe, the chief of
Russian pipeline monopolist Transneft has said.
Less than a week after Russia's state gas monopoly Gazprom threatened
to shift gas supplies from the EU to North America or China,
Transneft's president Semyon Vainshtok has now threatened Moscow could
do the same with crude oil.
"We have overfed Europe with crude. And every single economic manual
says that excessive supplies depress prices," Mr Vainshtok told the
daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Monday (24 April) according to Reuters.
"So far we cannot reduce supplies as all our exports are going to
Europe. But as soon as we divert [flows] to China, South Korea,
Australia, Japan it will immediately take away crude from our European
colleagues," he said.
The Russian oil chief was referring to plans by Transneft to construct
the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline, aimed at feeding booming
Asia with Russian oil, according to Russian media.
Mr Vainshtok's comments are likely to increase worries in European
capitals over Moscow's reliability as an energy supplier, fuelled last
week by Gazprom chief Alexei Miller.
Mr Miller said it was "no accident" that the state gas monopoly was
looking at markets outside Europe following alleged attempts by
European governments to frustrate Gazprom's activities on the European
energy market.
The comments were widely seen as a reaction to British resistance
against a possible takeover by Gazprom of the main UK gas supplier,
Centrica.
Gazprom's threat was characterised by the German conservative member of
the European Parliament Elmar Brok as "the announcement of a Cold War
with new methods."
Meanwhile, Gazprom has also expressed an interest in obtaining a
majority share in a planned German energy plant near Greifswald.
The move would enable Gazprom to sell gas from a planned direct
pipeline between Russia and Germany directly to German customers, Die
Welt reports.
US worried about EU energy dependency
Washington has also signalled uneasiness with Moscow's energy power
game.
The Financial Times reports that US foreign secretary Condoleezza Rice
is set to press the Greek government to reject Gazprom's participation
in a new gas pipeline between Greece and Turkey.
Ms Rice, who will visit Athens on Tuesday, wants to see both Greece and
Turkey reduce their reliance on Russian gas supplies.
Washington's concern echoes that of the International Energy Agency
(IEA), which has warned Europe against becoming too dependent on
Russian energy.
IEA chief economist Fatih Birol told Financial Times Deutschland last
week that "Europe must change its energy policy in order to avoid
becoming too dependent on Russian gas."
Currently, Gazprom provides about 30 percent of gas supplies for
France, Germany and Italy, and over 90 percent to new EU member states
in central and eastern Europe.
Russia also supplies about one quarter of Europe's crude oil.
The Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Store has suggested that
increased extraction of oil and natural gas from the Barents Sea may
provide Europe with its much needed energy.
Norway has jurisdiction over one part of the Barents Sea."
.
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