EU to put border monitors on gas inspections

Uzbekistan News.Net
Thursday 8th January, 2009

The European Union has put monitors on its borders with Russia and Ukraine, in an effort to solve the escalating gas crisis between the two countries.

The EU wants to work out a plan with both sides on setting up an international monitoring mission at pumping stations, to ensure that natural gas flows back into Europe.

The proposed monitors would check to see how much gas is being piped from Russia to Ukraine.

EU leaders have grown intolerant of the squabble between leaders in Moscow and Kiev, who have not been able to work out their differences to resume the flow of gas into European cities.

In the dead of winter, the gas crisis has left European homes, schools and factories without heat.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has told the two sides that the current crisis is unacceptable and that the supply of gas should be restored immediately.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said: 'The Russians must respect their contractual obligations to the Europeans.'

In parts of Europe, Slovakia and Romania have declared energy emergencies, Bulgaria has ordered gas rationing and Hungary and Croatia and Bosnia have suffered the complete stoppage of the Russian gas supply.

About 80 per cent of Russian gas passes though Ukraine, which is refusing to pay western European prices for its gas from Russia, which cut off all supplies to Ukraine's domestic market on January 1st and then halted all supplies to the country on Wednesday.

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