Germany says not to take sides in Russia-Ukraine dispute 
 

 The German government on Monday called for a compromise between Russia and Ukraine in the gas dispute, but insisted that German would not take sides in the row.

    "There is no finger-pointing from our side," said Foreign Office spokesman Martin Jaeger.

    Deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg said that German officials had phoned senior government members in both Moscow and Kiev and called on them to find a solution to the problem.

    Steg reaffirmed that Berlin is not seeking to become a mediator for the dispute.

    Thirty-five percent of Germany's total natural gas imports, or 84 percent, comes from Russia. More than 47 percent of the 37.7 million apartments and homes in Germany are heated with natural gas, according to Federal Association of the German Gas and Water Industry (BGW).

    Russia's gas giant Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on Sunday after Kiev rejected Moscow's demand for a sharp rise in gas prices in 2006.

    German Economy Minister Michael Glos quelled fears that the cut-off would cause a shortage of gas supplies in Germany, saying "the 17 million German households for the moment have no cause for concern. They will not be affected by what has happened so far."

    Another alternative for Germany, said a spokeswomen for the ministry, was to increase imports from Norway, aside from its 75-day gas stocks.

    Steg said that a planned Russian-German natural gas pipeline running through the Baltic Sea was not put into question by the Russian cut-off to Ukraine.

    The 4-billion-euro (4.7 billion U.S. dollars) gas pipeline, agreed in September between Germany and Russia, will raise gas import from Russia to Germany to 50 percent.

    The project will be 51 percent owned by Gazprom and 49 percent by German utilities.
 

blog-city blogomonster   over-blog  tblog   bloghi