Oil flows to Europe resume

MOSCOW – Oil resumed flowing through the main pipeline from Russia to Europe yesterday after Moscow and neighbouring Belarus resolved in principle a transit row that has disrupted exports and prompted fears over energy security in the European Union.

Russia restarted pumping through the Druzhba (friendship) pipeline across Belarussian territory early on Thursday, said the deputy chief executive of Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, Sergei Grigoryev, quoted by RIA Novosti. Supplies to several EU countries were halted Monday when Russia refused to pay a new transit tax imposed by Belarus, prompting sharp criticism of the way Moscow was handling the crisis by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU’s current president and also chair of the G8 (Group of Eight) leading economies.Russia had insisted that before resuming supplies, Belarus should first pump to European customers some 80 000 tonnes of crude oil it had taken from Russia and stored in lieu of transit fee payments.Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky was due in Moscow later to finalise the resolution agreed in a telephone conversation Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.Nampa-AFPSupplies to several EU countries were halted Monday when Russia refused to pay a new transit tax imposed by Belarus, prompting sharp criticism of the way Moscow was handling the crisis by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU’s current president and also chair of the G8 (Group of Eight) leading economies.Russia had insisted that before resuming supplies, Belarus should first pump to European customers some 80 000 tonnes of crude oil it had taken from Russia and stored in lieu of transit fee payments.Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky was due in Moscow later to finalise the resolution agreed in a telephone conversation Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.Nampa-AFP