BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

01/01/2007

Germany Welcomes Gazprom-Belarus Deal On Gas

Germany welcomed Monday the deal struck at the last minute between Belarus and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom on gas pricing after fears that its own supplies might have been cut off.

"The conflict shows that Europe ought not to make itself too dependent on gas supplies from the east," said Economics Minister Michael Glos in a statement issued by his Berlin office.

That meant Germany needed a balance mix of oil, gas, coal, nuclear power and renewable energy, said Glos.

During the dispute, Germany's biggest economy had worried that it might run short of energy if a pipeline from Siberian gas-fields through Belarus were to be closed. However Germany is also supplied by other lines through Ukraine and buys North Sea gas as well.

Separately, in an article for the Tuesday issue of the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Glos said he would use every legal instrument to promote domestic competition among electricity and gas distributors.

Glos said that for the German economy to remain competitive internationally, it had to keep its energy prices down.

Source:

http://www.playfuls.com/news_09_1675-Germany-Welcomes-Gazprom-Belarus-Deal-On-Gas.html