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Lithuania Threatens to Block Negotiations of Russia and Europe
Lithuania may block negotiations on a new political agreement of the Russian Federation and the European Union should Russia refuse to resume deliveries via Druzhba oil pipeline to Lithuania, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus announced in Poland, Echo Moskva reported.
Halting crude deliveries by Russia is the political rather than the technical problem, Valdas Adamkus said, explaining that, though veto is an extreme action, the situation calls for referring to the last resort.
Russia’s pipeline monopoly, Transneft, cut oil supplies to Lithuanian’s sole refinery Mazeikiu Nafta after the breakdown of July 2006. The market players speculate that Moscow could be attempting to drive down the cost of Mazeikiu and prompt Poland’s PKN Orlen to refuse to acquire it. Earlier, Russia’s companies lost to PKN Orlen in the tender for Mazeikiu Nafta.
It is not by chance that Adamkus made his statement in Poland. Exactly Poland blocked the start of the talks on a new political agreement of Russia and the European Union in November 2006 because of Russia’s ban on imports of Polish meat and plants.
www.kommersant.com
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