Blair calls for fair play on Russian energy
Tony Blair is calling on Russia to play fair with Europe on energy and abide by trade rules.
Before going into an EU summit dinner with President Vladimir Putin in Finland the British prime minister said yesterday: “If we are going to have this two-way trade with Russia (on energy supply) there have to be clear rules that are obeyed on both sides.”
EU leaders are desperate to win more open access for European companies to Russia’s vast oil and gas reserves – and to ensure long-term security of energy supplies, a quarter of which comes from Russia.
Russia, meanwhile, wants greater access to lucrative EU trading markets – but President Putin shows little sign of making concessions.
He is under pressure at the dinner to apply an Energy Charter agreed in 1991 but never ratified by the Russians.
Without it, the EU fears transparent and stable energy contracts Russia enjoys in Europe will not be matched by a commitment from Moscow.
“The Energy Charter Russian will be raised with President Putin this evening,” said Mr Blair. There was a “very strong desire” among EU leaders to make sure it is signed and adhered to: “If we are going to have this two-way trade with Russia there, there have to be clear rules that are obeyed on both sides.
“It will be important to get a sense of that from Putin this evening,” said Mr Blair.
He said all EU countries wanted the EU-Russia energy relationship to be based on “clear rules and principles“.
“Everyone knows the importance of the EU-Russia relationship … it is important that if we have a business relationship based on energy, it is a business relationship and not a political relationship.”
Mr Blair acknowledged that supplies of energy from Russia would come into EU countries “in varying degrees“.
He said: “We have got to have a diversity of supply. Britain is going to lose its self-sufficiency. That is why it is important that we replace our power stations and make the big drive on security of supply and climate change.”
The two were intimately linked, he said.
Earlier, at a summit meeting largely devoted to finding a united front to present to the Russian President, the leaders backed Mr Blair’s plea in a letter to the summit yesterday to recognise the urgency of climate change – a potential “catastrophic tipping point” on global warming looming in the next 10-15 years.
The summit supported his call for the extension of the EU’s current Emissions Trading Scheme – putting a cap on CO2 emissions from industry – to take in transport, including aviation.
They also endorsed swift efforts to move to more renewable energy use, and made a commitment to reduce fossil fuel plants to zero carbon emissions.
Mr Blair welcomed the support. He also won backing from another issue he insisted had to be given top priority – the rising tide of violence in the three-year-old conflict in Darfur.
He said: “We have agreed to maintain the EU position of support for a United Nations force going into the Sudan – and to insist the Sudanese Government co-operates with the United Nations and ends military force.”
The UN Security Council has called for a new 20,000-strong UN peacekeeping force to support a poorly funded, ill-equipped 7,000-strong African Union force.
However, the Sudanese Government has warned it would regard any UN force on its soil as an invasion.
