Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MOSCOW66
2007-01-11 12:25:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:
RUSSIAN ENERGY: UPDATE ON BELARUS-RUSSIA OIL ROW
how-toVZCZCXRO5480 OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHMO #0066 0111225 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 111225Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6291 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS MOSCOW 000066
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/RUS WARLICK, HOLMAN, AND GUHA
DEPT FOR EB/ESC/IEC GALLOGLY AND GARVERICK
DOE FOR HARBERT/EKIMOFF/PISCITELLI
DOC FOR 4231/IEP/EUR/JBROUGHER
NSC FOR GRAHAM AND MCKIBBEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET ENRG ECON PREL RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN ENERGY: UPDATE ON BELARUS-RUSSIA OIL ROW
REF: MOSCOW 57
PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION
UNCLAS MOSCOW 000066
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/RUS WARLICK, HOLMAN, AND GUHA
DEPT FOR EB/ESC/IEC GALLOGLY AND GARVERICK
DOE FOR HARBERT/EKIMOFF/PISCITELLI
DOC FOR 4231/IEP/EUR/JBROUGHER
NSC FOR GRAHAM AND MCKIBBEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET ENRG ECON PREL RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN ENERGY: UPDATE ON BELARUS-RUSSIA OIL ROW
REF: MOSCOW 57
PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION
1. (SBU) On January 11, Econoff spoke to Shawn McCormick
(please protect),head of government relations at TNK-BP, who
confirmed press reports that Russian crude is flowing again
through Belarus along the Druzhba pipeline and his company
was sending their "normal" volumes through and was not
required to cut back on production. McCormick believed that
other Russian shippers were also operating at full capacity.
When asked whether the GOR had authorized Transneft to send
only enough oil for European consumption -- in other words
sending none for Belarus's domestic use -- McCormick said
that he was not aware of any restrictions on sending oil to
Belarus for its own use. TNK-BP's oil trading department
indicated that it appears that the "crisis has been averted."
According to press reports, Belarusian Prime Minister
Sidorsky is in Moscow for discussions with Russian Prime
Minister Fradkov in an effort to reach an agreement ending
the impasse. The talks are expected to last through tomorrow.
2. (SBU) For its part, the Russian Duma has been most
concerned about the future of Russia's union with Belarus.
Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov was quoted in the press as saying
that Belarus's actions were not helpful to the creation of a
union. In an Echo Moskvy radio interview on January 10, Duma
Vice Speaker Oleg Morozov expressed the fear that Belarus's
actions, for which he blamed Lukashenko, had taken Russia and
Belarus away from forming a union. He continued that he
hoped Belarus had learned its lesson and that it would now be
more inclined to agree to a single ruble and customs zone.
The Duma is planning on holding a "government hour" meeting
with Economy Minister German Gref on January 17 to discuss
the progress of the talks. A proposal by Rodina Duma Deputy
Sergey Baburin proposed joint parliamentary hearings on the
situation but the measure did not pass.
RUSSELL
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/RUS WARLICK, HOLMAN, AND GUHA
DEPT FOR EB/ESC/IEC GALLOGLY AND GARVERICK
DOE FOR HARBERT/EKIMOFF/PISCITELLI
DOC FOR 4231/IEP/EUR/JBROUGHER
NSC FOR GRAHAM AND MCKIBBEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET ENRG ECON PREL RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN ENERGY: UPDATE ON BELARUS-RUSSIA OIL ROW
REF: MOSCOW 57
PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION
1. (SBU) On January 11, Econoff spoke to Shawn McCormick
(please protect),head of government relations at TNK-BP, who
confirmed press reports that Russian crude is flowing again
through Belarus along the Druzhba pipeline and his company
was sending their "normal" volumes through and was not
required to cut back on production. McCormick believed that
other Russian shippers were also operating at full capacity.
When asked whether the GOR had authorized Transneft to send
only enough oil for European consumption -- in other words
sending none for Belarus's domestic use -- McCormick said
that he was not aware of any restrictions on sending oil to
Belarus for its own use. TNK-BP's oil trading department
indicated that it appears that the "crisis has been averted."
According to press reports, Belarusian Prime Minister
Sidorsky is in Moscow for discussions with Russian Prime
Minister Fradkov in an effort to reach an agreement ending
the impasse. The talks are expected to last through tomorrow.
2. (SBU) For its part, the Russian Duma has been most
concerned about the future of Russia's union with Belarus.
Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov was quoted in the press as saying
that Belarus's actions were not helpful to the creation of a
union. In an Echo Moskvy radio interview on January 10, Duma
Vice Speaker Oleg Morozov expressed the fear that Belarus's
actions, for which he blamed Lukashenko, had taken Russia and
Belarus away from forming a union. He continued that he
hoped Belarus had learned its lesson and that it would now be
more inclined to agree to a single ruble and customs zone.
The Duma is planning on holding a "government hour" meeting
with Economy Minister German Gref on January 17 to discuss
the progress of the talks. A proposal by Rodina Duma Deputy
Sergey Baburin proposed joint parliamentary hearings on the
situation but the measure did not pass.
RUSSELL