US: “Russia exerts political pressure on Belarus” :: Charter'97 :: News

Wednesday evening the United States House of Representatives approved the resolution expressing protest against possible creation of a gas cartel on the model of the OPEC. As ITAR-TASS was informed by representatives of the House, the document which does not have a binding force for the US Administration, was adopted without counting voices. Among countries exporting gas Algeria, Bolivia, Venezuela, Iran, Qatar and Russia are enumerated. Authors of the resolution also claim that Russia many times demonstrated readiness to use its role of oil and gas supplier for exerting political pressure on other countries like Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus.

The resolution, which main creator was the Republican Congresswoman from Florida Ileanna Ros-Lehtinen, expresses “protest of the House of Representatives against efforts of the countries which are large natural gas exporters, to found a cartel or other mechanism for manipulating deliveries of these hydrocarbons with the aim of formation of an arbitrary price not determined by the market, or for political pressure.

According to the authors of the document, founding an international cartel of gas suppliers similar to the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries, will pose a serious threat from the point of view of prices and offering at the market of energy resources, and for economic security of the US and of the world in general.

In this connection American law-makers call upon the executive branch of power to make it clear to the governments of large gas suppliers that the US will find steps for creation such a cartel unfriendly step causing damage to the US security and security of the world in general. Authors of the resolution has also offered George Bush administration together with allies and countries importing gas, and countries cooperating with gas exporters to work out a “joint strategy” which is to prevent creation of a cartel or other analogous mechanism.

In May this year the United States House of Representatives passed a law which is to prevent creation of new gas and oil cartels similar to the OPEC. The White House made a statement against that draft law then, stating that it could only cause interruption in deliveries of energy resources to world markets and to price hike. The US Chamber of Commerce representing interests of more than 3mln of American companies has condemned that lawmaking initiative as well.